Vilho "Ville" Eino Ritola (18 January 1896 – 24 April 1982) was a Finnish long-distance runner. Known as one of the "Flying Finns", he won five Olympic gold medals and three Olympic silver medals in the 1920s. He holds the record of winning most athletics medals at a single Games – four golds and two silvers in Paris 1924 - and ranks second in terms of most athletics gold medals at a single Games.

Childhood and emigration to the United States
Ritola's parents, Johannes Ritola (1851–1944) and Serafia Gevär (1863–1919), were farmers in western Finland near Seinäjoki. He was born in Peräseinäjoki, Finland. He was the 14th child in his family and had altogether 19 siblings, five of whom died in infancy. Six of the children were from his father's first marriage, 14 from the second, including Ville.

In 1913 he followed seven of his siblings and emigrated to the United States to work as a carpenter. There he started training in 1919 when he was already 23 years old. Later he referred many times to this late start of his sports career, and how it put him at a disadvantage compared to his rivals, especially the more famous of the Flying Finns, Paavo Nurmi, who started systematic training in his teens. In 1919 he joined the Finnish-American Athletic Club and trained together with Hannes Kolehmainen, who had moved to the United States after the 1912 Summer Olympics. In spring 1919 he took part in his first competition, a New York street race, and finished 33rd among 700 competitors. It was only after this that he started to train systematically.

Kolehmainen tried to convince the young Ritola to join the Finnish 1920 Summer Olympics team, but Ritola stated that he was not ready yet. He had also just married Selma née Aaltonen. In 1921 he started to compete systematically, and in 1922 he won his first AAU Championship gold medals. The same year he came second in the Boston Marathon.

Paris Olympics 1924

During 1923 American Finns started collecting funds to pay for Ville Ritola's trip to Finland, where in May 1924 he took part in the Finnish Olympic qualification competitions. In the 10,000 m qualifying race Ritola won with a world record time of 30.35.4. This was Ritola's first official world record.

At the 1924 Paris Olympics, he won four gold and two silver medals. He had a start on eight consecutive days to achieve this, all long-distance.

In his first race, the 10,000 m, in the absence of Nurmi, he won by half a lap and obliterated his own fresh world record by more than 12 seconds. Finnish officials had selected Ritola for the race as Nurmi was already running in five other distance events. Three days later, Ritola won the 3000 m steeplechase by 75 metres. The next day he finished second in the 5000 m, 0.2 seconds behind Nurmi. Ritola later earned another silver medal behind Nurmi in the individual cross-country race and gained a gold medal as a member of the Finnish cross-country team. Finally, Ritola joined Nurmi to win the 3000 m team race.

Ritola's 1924 triumph in Paris is historical. His six medals from Paris is still the biggest number of medals won by an athlete in one Olympic games event. His four gold medals put him in second place after Paavo Nurmi in the number of gold medals won by an athlete in one Olympic Games event.

Back to the United States

After the Olympics, Ritola had to return to the US to find employment, while his pregnant wife remained in Finland. His daughter Anja was born in November 1924. Selma joined her husband in the US with the baby in March 1925.

In winter 1924–1925, Ritola competed in the United States and Canada and beat world record times in the 3000 m (8 min 26.8 sec), 3000 m steeplechase (9 min 18.6 sec), 5000 m (14 min 23.2 sec), 2 miles, 2 mile steeplechase, 3 miles and 5 miles.  These were not official world records as they were run indoors.

Amsterdam Olympics 1928

In 1928, Ritola was 32 years old and had worked in construction for more than a decade. He had not trained systematically even though he still had won four gold medals in the AAU Championships 1927.

In the 1928 Summer Olympics, Ritola's main competitor was again Paavo Nurmi. This time each got one win. The first race was 10,000m. Ritola took the lead at 1,500m, and only four competitors followed. At 3,000m, Ray (US) dropped from the leading group and before 4,000m, Beavers (UK). As Wide (Sweden) dropped at 6,500m, only Nurmi followed Ritola. At 100m before the finish Nurmi sprinted and won by 0.6 seconds. Wide was third, losing by a 45.2s margin.

Ritola's last Olympic appearance was in the 5,000 m at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Both Ritola and Nurmi had hurt themselves in the steeplechase qualification competitions. Nurmi had a sore hip and Ritola a sore ankle. However, Ritola again took the lead at 2,500m. At 600m before the finish, only Ritola and Nurmi were left in the leading group. This time, Ritola pulled away from Nurmi in the final curve and won by 12 metres - 3 seconds. Wide nearly caught Nurmi, and Nurmi only held on to silver by a 0.2s margin. This victory brought Ritola's career total to five Olympic gold medals and three silver medals.

Ritola never competed in the Finnish championships, but won a handful of medals in the AAU Championships in the United States. He was the AAU champion at  in 1927, at  road race in 1922, 1923 and from 1925 to 1927, at  steeplechase in 1923, 1926 and 1927 and at cross country in 1922, 1923 and from 1925 to 1927.

After sports career
Ritola retired from athletics soon after the 1928 Olympic Games. He took part in only a few US competitions after 1928. He returned to American construction sites and worked in physically demanding jobs until 1959. He took US citizenship in 1937. His daughter, Anja Impola, married and lived in the US until her death in 2013. Ritola's wife Selma died in 1965 and he remarried to Liisa Lauren in 1967. Ritola moved back to Helsinki, Finland with his wife in 1971 and died in Helsinki aged 86.

Honours
 A statue for Ville Ritola was prepared by sculptor Maija Nuotio in 1978 and it is placed in his homeplace Peräseinäjoki (now part of Seinäjoki).
 A sports hall in Peräseinäjoki was named RitolaHalli.
 At Ville Ritola's funeral in 1982 the coffin bearers included other Olympic heroes such as Lasse Virén.
 Kunto-Ritola, annual long-distance event

Curiosities
Ritola's career inspired a phrase into colloquial Finnish. "Ottaa ritolat", translating as something like "pull a Ritola", means to make a quick exit from somewhere.

See also

List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games
List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists

References

1896 births
1982 deaths
Sportspeople from Seinäjoki
Sportspeople from Vaasa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
Olympic athletes for Finland
Olympic gold medalists for Finland
Olympic silver medalists for Finland
Finnish male long-distance runners
Finnish male steeplechase runners
Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)
Emigrants from the Grand Duchy of Finland to the United States
Olympic cross country runners
Olympic male long-distance runners
Olympic male steeplechase runners
Naturalized citizens of the United States

Ville Ritola


Johnny Spunky (November 16, 1958 in Turku), real name  Juha Kaarsalo, is a Finnish musician, songwriter and author. His early synthesizer works were published by the Finnish record label Hiljaiset Levyt ("silent records") in Tampere, Finland, and brought to an international audience by John Peel. His trio's full name was Johnny Spunky's Guts but they performed under Johnny Spunky mainly. Later he started a solo career.

Kaarsalo finished his studies in late 1988 at the University of Helsinki and mastered in Finnish literature in 1989. His thesis dealt with the meaning of music in the radio plays of Pirkko Jaakola. Kaarsalo published several books of poetry in Finnish. He also wrote about ornithology and art history in calendars by the publisher Von Wright from 1994 to 2001. His essays about architecture, literature and especially music were published primarily in three magazines and periodicals: Rytmi, musa.fi and Selvis. Kaarsalo is a member of the Finnish Composers organisation Säveltäjät ja Sanoittajat ELVIS ry. In winter 2006 he suffered a serious pneumonia. Kaarsalo is unmarried and lives in Loimaa.

The early works from 1987 to 1988 are being digimastered and will be released on CD in 2009.

Discography

Own editions
 Sonic Psychobody, Cassette, 1986
 Lunar Power, EP, Hiljaiset Levyt HIKS-006, 1987
 My Second Coming, EP, Hiljaiset Levyt HIKS-012, 1989
 Mutatio vitalis, EP, Hiljaiset Levyt HIKS-022, 1990
 Shades of Things to Come, CD, Pinke 1, 1995

Compilations
 Avzaltti (LP, 1987)
 Maanalainen vuosikerta (LP, Stigma 1989)
 Sivulliset (4 CD, Poko/EMI 2005)

Bibliography
 Ajan kuristus (Hiljainen Kulttuuriyhdistys 1988)
 Perillä ennen lähtöä (1988)
 Legenda German Elsassilaisesta (long poem in the anthology "Loivan Maan Saga", Ooli 1999)
 Ajatusten maisemissa (Ooli 2000)
 Apollon valo (Kustannus HD, 2006)
 Sampsan alueen historia (Kustannus HD, 2007)
 Kohti outoa totuutta (Kustannus HD, 2008)
 Tapio Laurila ja iloinen peli - musiikkimiehen muotokuva (Kustannus HD, 2008)

External links
 Juha Kaarsalo
 Juha Kaarsalo in the Finnish Music Archive

1958 births
Living people
Finnish male songwriters
Finnish male writers
Musicians from Turku

Johnny Spunky


12 Who Don't Agree () is a 2009 non-fiction book by the Russian writer Valery Panyushkin. The book is based on the life of Russian opposition activists.

12 Who Don't Agree was published in 2009 in Zakharov Books (Russia). This book was also published in English translation in 2011 in Europa Editions.

Characters
 Marina Litvinovich
 Vissarion Aseev
 Anatoliy Ermolin
 Maria Gaidar
 Ilya Yashin
 Sergei Udaltsov
 Maxim Gromov
 Natalia Morar
 Victor Shenderovich
 Andrey Illarionov
 Garry Kasparov
 Valery Panyushkin – author of the book

Overview

 Published in Russia in 2009, journalist Valery Panyushkin's semi-autobiographical novel Twelve Who Don't Agree depicts twelve very different Russians from across the country's social, political and economic spectrum: chess champion and the chairman of the United Civil Front, Garry Kasparov. A columnist for the liberal Russian paper New Times, Viktor Shenderovich. The young center-left independent politician; Maria Gaidar. The passionate leader of the RPR-PARNAS party; Ilya Yashin. The unofficial leader of the radical communist group, the Vanguard of Red Youth; Sergei Udaltsov. The Bolshevik opposition-party leader; Maxim Gromov. The former adviser to President Vladimir Putin; Andrei Illarionov. The editor-in-chief of the popular dissident website Pravda Beslan; Marina Litvinovich. The former police officer and politician for 'Putin's Party,' United Russia; Anatoly Yermolin. The Moldovan investigative journalist for the Russian magazine New Times; Natalya Morar, and human rights activist Vissarion Aseev.

Events

 Taking place a year before the presidential election scheduled on March 2, 2008, the St. Petersburg march also came a week ahead of the local elections of the Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly. The protest was organized by The Other Russia, a broad umbrella group including both left and right-wing opposition leaders; including the far-left Vanguard of Red Youth and its leader Sergei Udaltsov, with the National Bolshevik Party and its leader Eduard Limonov; as well as center-right 'liberals' such as former world chess champion and United Civil Front leader Garry Kasparov, and former Prime Minister of Russia and People Democratic Union leader Mikhail Kasyanov. Those of the Twelve not already listed were among the masses of journalists and unaffiliated civilians taking part in the assembly. Despite widespread support, the large numbers garnered by the protestors, and the initial 'success' of the first march; when more marches were planned for 14 April, in Moscow, and 15 April, in St. Petersburg, local and state police were prepared for the protestors, quickly overwhelming and arresting the resistance.

Analysis

 Despite distinctly different backgrounds, all twelve individuals became allies during their participation in the historic Dissidents March 2007. The March was purposefully and peacefully in violation of increasingly restrictive laws forbidding political demonstrations. Although each of the Twelve had their own personal reasons for taking part in the march, they also shared in the conviction that under Vladimir Putin the Russian government was (and is) becoming increasingly totalitarian, autocratic, and repressive. As a book published less than a decade ago, Panyushkin provides critical and essential insight for students of Russian history into the deteriorating democracy of post-Soviet Russia. If there is an underlying theme or message in 12 that Don't Agree, it is one of knitting together a tattered tapestry made up of the disjointed and oftentimes contradictory patchwork of different people and ideas, to unite them all under the common cause of democracy, and the sacred duty of tyrannicide for the preservation of liberty.

See also
 Dissenters' March
 2009 in literature
 Russian literature

References

External links
 Europa Editions - 12 Who Don't Agree

Russian non-fiction books
2009 non-fiction books
Zakharov Books books

12 Who Don't Agree


Kano (Ajami: كَنُوْ) is a city in northern Nigeria and the capital of Kano State. It is the second largest city in Nigeria after Lagos, with over ten million citizens living within . Located in the Savanna, south of the Sahel, Kano is a major route of the trans-Saharan trade, having been a trade and human settlement for millennia. It is the traditional state of the Dabo dynasty who have ruled as emirs over the city-state since the 19th century. Kano Emirate Council is the current traditional institution inside the city boundaries of Kano, and under the authority of the Government of Kano State.

The city is one of the seven medieval Hausa kingdoms. The principal inhabitants of the city are the Hausa people. Centuries before British colonization, Kano was strongly cosmopolitan with settled populations of Arab, Tuareg, Kanuri and Fula and remains so with the Hausa language spoken as a lingua-franca by over 70 million speakers in the region.

Islam arrived in the city in the 11th century or earlier primarily through the trans-Saharan trade. As a result, Kano became wealthy and the commercial nerve centre of the region and Northern Nigeria, and is still associated as the "centre of commerce".

Etymology
Kano was originally known as Dala, after the hill, and was referred to as such until the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th by Bornoan sources.

History

Founding and Bagauda dynasty
In the 7th century, Dala Hill, a residual hill in Kano, was the site of a hunting and gathering community that engaged in iron work (Nok culture); it is unknown whether these were Hausa people or speakers of Niger–Congo languages. The Kano Chronicle identifies Barbushe, a warrior priest of Dala Hill and a female spirit deity known as Tsumbura, Barbushe is from the lineage of the hunter family (maparauta) who were the city's first settlers (Elizabeth Isichei notes that the description of Barbushe is similar to those of Sao people).  While small chiefdoms were previously present in the area, according to the Kano Chronicle, Bagauda son of Bawo and grandson of the mythical hero Bayajidda, became the first king of Kano in 999, reigning until 1063. His grandson Gijimasu (1095–1134), the third king, began building city walls (badala/ganuwa) at the foot of Dala Hill. His own son, Tsaraki (1136–1194), the fifth king, completed them during his reign.

Middle Ages: spread of Islam and trade
In the 12th century, Ali Yaji as King of Kano renounced his allegiance to the cult of Tsumburbura, converted to Islam and proclaimed the Sultanate that was to last until its fall in the 19th century. The reign of Yaji ensued an era of expansionism that saw Kano becoming the capital of a pseudo Habe Empire.

In 1463, Muhammad Rumfa (reigned 1463–1499) ascended the throne. During his reign, political pressure from the rising Songhai Empire forced him to take Auwa, the daughter of Askiyah the Great as his wife. She was to later become the first female Madaki of Kano.

Rumfa was a rich and flamboyant king. Luxurious clothing and expensive ostrich feather shoes were common among government officials. The kakaki (a kind of trumpet) was also first used during his reign. His wealth is owed to Kano's commercial prosperity during this period. Kano arguably achieved the height of its reputation as an important trading center of the trans-Saharan trade in the Middle Ages during his reign. Leo Africanus's description of Kano is believed to be that of Rumfas era. He described the locals as "wealthy merchants and skilled craftsmen" and commended the cavalry of the Sultan's army. He also noted the abundance of rice, corn, cotton and citrus fruits.

Rumfa reformed the city, expanded the Sahelian Gidan Rumfa (Emir's Palace), and played a role in the further Islamization of the city, as he urged prominent residents to convert and invited many prominent scholars to the city. He also built the walls of the city and the Kurmi market. The Kano Chronicle attributes a total of twelve "innovations" to Rumfa. According to the Kano Chronicle, the thirty-seventh Sarkin Kano (King of Kano) was Mohammed Sharef (1703–1731). His successor, Kumbari dan Sharefa (1731–1743), engaged in major battles with Sokoto as a longterm rivalry.

Fulani rule

At the beginning of the 19th century, Fulani Islamic leader Usman dan Fodio led a jihad affecting much of central Sudan which demolished the Habe kingdom, leading to the emergence of the Sokoto Caliphate. In 1805 the last sultan of Kano was defeated by the Jobe Clan of the Fulani, and Kano became an Emirate of the Caliphate. Kano was already the largest and most prosperous province of the empire.

The city suffered famines from 1807 to 1810, in the 1830s, 1847, 1855, 1863, 1873, 1884, and from 1889 until 1890.

During the 19th century when Kano came under the suzerainty of the Sokoto Caliphate, Kano prospered as the center of commercial activity. Weaving, dyeing and leatherwork were traded as far north as Morocco and thereafter to Europe. Its cotton cloth traded as far as Tripoli, Lake Chad, and Timbuktu.

In 1851, Heinrich Barth (a German scholar who spent several years in northern Nigeria in the 1850s) mentioned that Kano had a 10-mile long 30 ft high clay walls with a population of 30,000 with commerce and manufacturing abundant. He mentioned "its huge market was a labyrinth of narrow alleys with everything sold from vegetables to slaves". He also called Kano the greatest emporium of central Africa and estimated the percentage of slaves in Kano to be at least 50%, most of whom lived in slave villages. This was one of the last major slave societies, with high percentages of enslaved population long after the Atlantic slave trade had been cut off.

From 1893 until 1895, two rival claimants for the throne fought a civil war, or Basasa. With the help of royal slaves, Yusufu was victorious over his brother Tukur and claimed the title of emir.

British colony, indirect rule, and independence

In March 1903, the city-state was absorbed into the British Empire after the Battle of Kano, the Fort of Kano was captured by the British, It quickly replaced Lokoja as the administrative centre of Northern Nigeria. It was replaced as the centre of government by Zungeru and later Kaduna, and only regained administrative significance with the creation of Kano State following Nigerian independence.

From 1913 to 1914, as the peanut business was expanding, Kano suffered a major drought, which caused a famine. Other famines during British rule occurred in 1908, 1920, 1927, 1943, 1951, 1956, and 1958. By 1922, groundnut trader Alhassan Dantata had become the richest businessman in the Kano Emirate, surpassing fellow merchants Umaru Sharubutu Koki and Maikano Agogo.
In May 1953, an inter-ethnic riot arose due to southern newspapers misreporting on the nature of a disagreement between northern and southern politicians in the House of Representatives. Thousands of Nigerians of southern origin died as a result a politically sparked riot.

Ado Bayero became emir of Kano in 1963. Kano state was created in 1967 from the then Northern Nigeria by the Federal military government. The first military police commissioner, Audu Bako, is credited with building a solid foundation for the progress of a modern society. He started a lot of development projects—network of roads, a reliable urban water supply. He was a keen farmer himself and funded construction of number of dams to provide irrigation. Thanks to his policies, Kano produced all types of produce and export it to the neighbouring states. The first civilian governor was Abubakar Rimi.

In December 1980, radical preacher Mohammed Marwa Maitatsine led a riot. He was killed by security forces, but his followers later started uprisings in other northern cities.

21st century
After the introduction of sharia law in Kano State in the early 2000s, many Christians left the city. 100 people were killed in riots over the sharia issue during October 2001.

In November 2007, political violence broke out in the city after the People's Democratic Party (PDP) accused the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) of rigging the November 17 local government elections. (The ANPP won in 36 of the state's 44 local Government Areas.) Hundreds of youths took to the streets, over 300 of whom were arrested; at least 25 people were killed. Buildings set on fire include a sharia police station, an Islamic centre, and a council secretariat. 280 federal soldiers were deployed around the city.In January 2012, a series of bomb attacks killed up to 162 people. Four police stations, the State Security Service headquarters, passport offices and immigration centres were attacked. Jihadist insurgents Boko Haram claimed responsibility. After the bombings, Kano was placed under curfew. The Boko Haram insurgency continued with mass murders in March 2013, November 2014 and February 2015.

On 6 June 2014, Emir Ado Bayero who reigned as Emir of Kano for over five decades died, and a succession crisis loomed amongst the royal family. On 8 June 2014, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi a grandson of former Emir Muhammadu Sanusi I emerged as the new Emir of Kano. His accession led to widespread protests from supporters of Sanusi Ado Bayero the Chiroman Kano (Crown Prince) and son of the late Emir Ado Bayero, with allegations that Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso interfered with the king-making process.

In 2019, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje balkanized the traditional Kano Emirate into four new emirates; Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye. This unprecedented move was criticized by elders. According to the law, out of the 44 local government areas in the state, Sanusi as Emir of Kano will preside over just 10 local government areas; with the remainder carved up amongst the new emirates. On 9 March 2020, Sanusi was dethroned by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. The emir was immediately moved to detention under heavy security escort to an apartment in awe, Nasarawa state. It took the intervention of the federal high court in Abuja to order his release from detention in Nasarawa.

Geography

Location
The city lies south of the Sahara Desert in the Sudanian Savanna region that stretches across the south of the Sahel. The city lies near where the Kano and Challawa rivers flowing from the southwest converge to form the Hadejia River, which eventually flows into Lake Chad to the east.

Climate
Kano is  above sea level. Kano has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw). The city has on average about  of precipitation per year, the large majority of which falls from June through September. Like the vast majority of Nigeria, Kano is very hot for most of the year, peaking in April. From December through February, the city is less hot, with morning temperatures during the months of December, January and February averaging between .

Districts
Kano has forty four local governments:

 Kano municipal,
 Dala,
 Fagge,
 Tarauni,
 Gwale,
 Ungoggo,
 Kumbotso,
 and Nassarawa.

Economy
The economic history of Kano dates back to the Middle Ages when the city served as the southernmost point of the famous trans-Sahara trade routes. Kano was well connected with many cities in North Africa and some cities in southern Europe. By 1851, the city of Kano produced 10 million pairs of sandals and 5 million tanned hides annually for export, with other products including textile materials, leather and grains. Kano was connected with trans-Atlantic trade in 1911 when a railway line reached Kano. Kano is a major centre for the production and export of agricultural products like hides, skins, peanuts, and cotton.

The city maintains its economy and business even in the 21st century, with it producing the richest man in Africa—Aliko Dangote—whose great-grandfather Alhassan Dantata was the richest West African in the mid 20th century. Over the years, inconsistent government policies and sporadic electricity supply hampered manufacturing and industry, so that Kano's economy relies primarily on trade, retail and services. There are plans to establish an information technology park in the city.

Culture

Equestrianism

Kano is traditionally an equestrian society and this is manifested during the annual Durbar festival to mark and celebrate the two annual Muslim festivals Eid al-Fitr (to mark the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (to mark the Hajj Holy Pilgrimage). The festival begins with skilled horsemen from the royal court and aristocrats being accompanied by musicians, artillerymen, and traditional circus in a procession of highly rich and colorful style through the city on the way to the emir's palace. Once assembled near the palace, the horsemen separate into their respective groups, each under the banner of district head (hakimai) or a titled nobleman from the emir's court (masarauta), take it in turns to charge toward the emir, pulling up just feet in front of the seated dignitaries to offer their respect and allegiance. During the festival, the emir makes a beautiful appearance in different colors dressed and adorned with the attire of a king.

For the first time in 200 years, the durban horse festival was cancelled in 2012 due to the bad health condition of the Emir of Kano. Some analysts suggested that the cancellation could also be attributed to the rising deadly Boko haram attacks in the northern part of Nigeria at that time.

Architecture
Kano's architecture over the years has seen wide variations, especially from the traditional architecture to modern architecture. The city is a leading axis of Sudano-Sahelian architecture, developing the local Tubali style which manifested in mosques, walls, common compounds, and gates.

The design exteriorization of building façades was and is still widely used in Kano architecture, with the city harboring several skilled artisans.

Landmarks

Old City
Formerly walled, most of the gates to the Old City survive. The Old City houses the vast Kurmi Market, known for its crafts, while old dye pits—still in use—lie nearby. In the Old City are the Emir's Palace, the Great Mosque, and the Gidan Makama Museum.

Places of worship
Among the places of worship, they are predominantly Muslims mosques.

There are also Christian churches for several denominations including :

 Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion);
 Roman Catholic Diocese of Kano (Catholic Church);
 Nigerian Baptist Convention (Baptist World Alliance);
 Presbyterian Church of Nigeria (World Communion of Reformed Churches);
 Pentecostal megachurches including; Assemblies of God, Living Faith Church Worldwide; Redeemed Christian Church of God

Fortifications
The Ancient Kano City Walls were built as a defensive wall with the construction of the foundation laid by Sarki Gijimasu (r. 1095–1134), the third king of the Kingdom of Kano in the Kano Chronicle. In the mid 14th century during the reign of Zamnagawa, the wall was completed before it was further expanded during the 16th century. According to historians, the then General-Governor of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, Fredrick Lugard, wrote in a 1903 report about the Kano Walls that he had "never seen anything like it in Africa" after capturing the ancient city of Kano along with British forces.

Old palaces and residences
Many old royal residences have also survived to this day, mainly within the old city and its surroundings. Such private houses include the Gidan Chiroma, Filin Chiranchi, and others. Larger palaces, include the Gidan Rumfa, Gidan Makama, and winter retreat for the emir.

Education

Universities
The Bayero University Kano is the oldest university in the city. The university was first founded in 1962 by Isa Kaita. It became a state university in 1975, and remains an important institution of learning today.

The Kano State Polytechnic was founded in 1975.

Transport
Kano houses a railway station with trains to Lagos routed through Kaduna, while Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport lies nearby. The city is supplied with water by the nearby Challawa Gorge Dam, which is being considered as a source of hydro power. Because Kano is north of the rail junction at Kaduna, it has equal access to the seaports at Lagos and Port Harcourt.

The airline Kabo Air had its head office in the city. Kano was also headquarters of Azman Airlines and is the headquarters city of Max Air and various independent travel agencies.
After a hiatus of many years, the railway line from Kano to Lagos was rehabilitated by 2013. The train trip to Lagos takes 30 hours and costs the equivalent of US$12, only a quarter of the equivalent bus fare.

In 2014, a new double track, standard gauge line is under construction from Lagos.

From 2006 to 2015, backed by high oil prices, major highways, overhead bridges and other transportation infrastructure were built by the state government. The most notable of these are the Silver Jubilee flyover bridge at Kofar Nassarawa, the Kofar Kabuga underpass and various 6-lane highways in the city. In 2020, the Vice president of Nigeria Yemi Osibanjo was in Kano to commission the Alhassan Dantata flyover along Murtala Muhammad Way and Tijjani Hashim underpass way, Kofar Ruwa.

In 2017, a 74-km, four-line light rail network was announced by the Kano State Ministry of Works, Housing & Transport; with a US$1.8 billion contract signed with China Railway Construction Corporation.

Notable people

Sani Abacha, former Nigerian Head of State
Lawan Musa Abdullahi, lawyer and politician
Aliko Dangote, entrepreneur.
Alhassan Dantata, businessman
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, current Governor of Kano State
Rabiu Kwankwaso, politician, Former Governor Of Kano State Also A Former Minister Of Defense
Murtala Mohammed, former Head of States, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Isyaku Rabiu, businessman
Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi former Governor of Kano state.
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, banker
Ibrahim Shekarau, politician, former Governor Of Kano State And Former Minister Of Education, currently Nigerian Senate representing Kano Central
Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila bureaucrat and politician.
Alhassan Yusuf, footballer, currently plays for Royal Antwerp in Belgium

See also

Gwagwarwa
Kano Emirate Council

References

Further reading

External links

Cities in Nigeria
Populated places in Kano State
State capitals in Nigeria

Kano (city)


Sarah Shannon is a vocalist best known for her work in the band Velocity Girl. Shannon released two solo albums: Sarah Shannon (2002, Casa Recording Co.) and City Morning Song (2007, Minty Fresh). She also joined Styrofoam to record the song "I Found Love." In addition, she fronted the short-lived band Starry Eyes, which put out a short EP and played one live show at the Black Cat club in Washington D.C. Other members of the band included former members of Velocity Girl and Shades Apart. She is currently a member of The Not-Its!, a children's music rock band. Shannon currently lives in Seattle, Washington.

External links
 Sarah Shannon (official website)
 Copacetic Zine interview with Sarah Shannon

American women rock singers
American indie rock musicians
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American women

Sarah Shannon


The Madonna and Child is a painting by Lucas Kranach the Elder (1472–1553). The oil painting was probably brought to Poland by Jan Sulimirski and placed in the parish church of Sulimierzyce, the ancestral seat of the Sulimirski/Sulimierski family around 1550. Alternately, it might have been brought to Poland by Roch of Sulmierzyce, who served as abbot of Częstochowa from 1598 to 1612. On March 15, 1666, Church authorities declared the painting to be miraculous, as it had survived several fires and plundering by many invading armies. It continued to be venerated throughout the region until it was stolen in 1995 from the church.

16th-century paintings
Paintings of the Madonna and Child
Stolen works of art

Sulmierzyce Madonna


Yahya Christian Bonaud (1957 – 26 August 2019), also known as Yaḥyā ʿAlawī (or Yaḥyā Bonaud) was a French Islamologist, philosopher, writer and translator. He was a commentator of the Qur'an in French, and a professor at the Jāmī Theological Center at Al-Mustafa International University in Iran. He was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.

Bonaud drowned after being involved in a boat crash on 26 August 2019 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast at the age of 62.

References

2019 deaths
Accidental deaths by drowning
French philosophers
1957 births
French translators
Writers from Strasbourg

Christian Bonaud


Proof coinage refers to special early samples of a coin issue, historically made for checking the dies (as in demonstrating that something is true) and for archival purposes.  Nowadays proofs are often struck in greater numbers specially for coin collectors (numismatists). Nearly all countries have issued proof coinage.

Preparation of a proof striking usually involved polishing of the dies. They can usually be distinguished from normal circulation coins by their sharper rims and design, as well as much smoother "fields" – the blank areas not part of the coin's design.

The dies for making modern proof coins are often treated with chemicals to make certain parts of the design take on a frosted appearance, with the polished fields taking on a mirror finish. Several other methods have been used in the past to achieve this effect, including sand blasting the dies, and matte proofs. Proof coins of the early 19th century even appear to be scratched, but it was part of the production process. The term "proof" refers to the process by which the coins are made and not to the condition of the coin. Certification agencies can grade and assign numerical ratings for proof coins. A PR70 coin is the highest grade possible for a proof coin and indicates a perfect example, with PR69 and lower grades reflecting some deficiency in the strike, centering, details, or other aspect of the coin.

Most proof coins are double struck under higher pressure. This does not normally result in doubling that is readily observable, but does result in the devices being struck fully, resulting in intricate elements of the original die being present on the proof that may not be present in such detail on circulation strikes. After being struck, they are separately and individually handled, in contrast to normal coins which are thrown into bins.

United States proof coins

The U.S. had largely stopped striking proof coins in 1916, although a few later specimens exist. From 1936 to 1942, proof coins could be ordered individually from the United States Mint. Beginning in 1950, customers could order proof coins only as complete sets.

From 1950 to 1955, proof sets were packaged in a box and each of the five coins was sealed in a cellophane bag. 1955 saw both the original "box" packaging and introduced the flat-pack, where the coins were sealed in cellophane and presented in an envelope.  The flat-pack packaging continued through 1964, after which the coins were sealed in various styles of hard plasticized cases. (From 1965 to 1967 the production of proof sets was suspended and Special Mint Sets were made in their place. They were made at the San Francisco Assay Office but bore no "S" mintmark.)

Sets struck from 1936 to 1942 (1942 offered a five-coin and a six-coin version, the latter included the silver wartime nickel) and from 1950 to 1972 include the cent, nickel, dime, quarter, and half dollar. From 1973 through 1981 the dollar was also included, and also from 2000 on. The 1999–2008 proof sets also contain five different 50 State quarters. The 2004–2005 series also contain the two Lewis and Clark nickels. The 2007–2016 proof sets also include Presidential dollars.  The 2010-2021 proof sets also contain America the Beautiful quarters, depicting different National Parks and Monuments.  Proof sets issued in 2009 contain 18 coins – the most ever included – as that year featured four different reverses for the Lincoln Cent, six quarters issued under the District of Columbia and United States Territories quarters program, four Presidential and one Native American dollar struck that year, and the five cent, dime, and half dollar coins.  Proof sets containing only 2009 cents, 50 State quarters, America the Beautiful quarters, Presidential dollars, and American Innovation dollars are also available.

The U.S. Mint has also released special proof sets, such as in 1976, when a proof set of three 40% silver-clad coins: the quarter, half-dollar and dollar coins depicting special reverses to commemorate the U.S. Bicentennial was issued. From 1971 to 1974, proof silver-clad Eisenhower dollars were issued in a plastic case contained in a brown wood-grain finish slipcase box, and are referred to as "Brown Ikes". Proof Susan B. Anthony dollars were struck in 1999. Although these proof dollars were sold separately and not included in the proof sets for that year, some third parties used the cases from other years to create 1999 proof sets that include the dollar, prompting the U.S. Mint to advise the public that these sets were not government-issued sets. A proof "Coin & Chronicles" set was issued for 2009, which included one each of the 4 different Lincoln Cent designs and a commemorative Lincoln Silver Dollar, presented in special packaging. Other sets, called "Prestige Proof" sets, also contain selected commemorative coins. These sets were sold from 1983 to 1997 (except 1985) at an additional premium. As Legacy Proof sets, the practice was resumed from 2005 to 2008.

Occasionally, there are errors which escape the Mint's inspection process, resulting in some very rare and expensive proof sets.  This has happened at least seven times: 1968-S, 1970-S and 1975-S and in the 1983-S Prestige set, each with a dime that has no mint mark; a small number of 1971-S sets included a nickel without a mint mark;  1990-S saw both regular and Prestige sets which included a penny with no mint mark.

Not as rare (or as expensive) are proof sets issued with coin varieties that are less common than those found in other sets issued in the same year.  These include the 1960 and 1970-S sets, both of which are found in either a "small date" or "large date" variety, which refers to the size and position of the date on the Lincoln cent. The 1979-S and 1981-S sets each come in either a "Type I" or a "Type II" version, where on all coins the "S" mint mark is either "filled" (also known as the "blob" mint mark) or "clear". 1964 has a design variation where the President's portrait on the Kennedy half-dollar has "accented hair".  The design was modified early in the production (reputedly at the request of Jacqueline Kennedy) to give the hair a smoother appearance. This resulted in the "accented hair" variety being somewhat rarer and commanding a premium over the "regular" variety.

Since 1992 the mint has struck proof sets in both silver and base metal. Also, "Silver Premier" sets, featuring deluxe packaging, were offered from 1992 to 1998. U.S. commemorative and bullion platinum, palladium, gold, and silver coins are also often issued in both uncirculated and proof types, sometimes with different mint marks. From 1992 to 2018, the silver coins in silver proof sets contained "coin silver," 90% silver and 10% copper, the same silver content as coins minted through 1964. Beginning in 2019, silver coins in silver proof sets were issued in "fine silver," 99.9% silver, the same silver content as silver bullion coins.

Starting in 1947 the U.S. mint began producing "mint sets", and because of the terms used there is some confusion over the difference between these and proof sets. These are uncirculated coins that have been specially packaged, and are generally neither as expensive nor as valuable as proofs. There are some exceptions, however. Those produced from 1947 to 1958 (none were made in 1950) were double sets packaged in cardboard holders and have good collector demand.  Because mint sets contain specimens from each mint the precious metal value of the coins in a mint set could exceed the value of a proof set for common dates. Another exception is the 1996 mint set, which, in addition to specimens from the Philadelphia and Denver mints, contained a Roosevelt dime from the West Point mint (commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Roosevelt dime) and which was available only in this mint set. From 1965 to 1967 the mint did not sell proof or uncirculated coins, but only a hybrid product, "special mint sets", none of which are particularly valuable. From 2005 through 2010 the U.S. Mint used a special "satin finish" on the coins in its uncirculated sets, but in 2011 changed to a "brilliant finish" so that contact marks incurred during the normal production process would be less noticeable.

The Philadelphia and Denver mints also sold annual "souvenir sets" from their gift shops since 1973 (1972 for Denver).  These are not mint sets and generally not of high collectable value, although the 1982 and 1983 sets are in demand, since no "official" mint sets were issued during those years.  Sales of the souvenir sets ended in 1998 with the launch of the 50 State quarters.  Finally, individual dealers have made unofficial "year sets", privately packaging all denominations of a certain date. The latter have no value beyond their individual coins. Members of the public should be careful to understand what products they are being offered, and that, until supplies are exhausted, current and previous mint and proof sets are available directly from the mint.

See also
Cameo (coinage)
Coin grading
Commemorative coin
Pattern coin
Uncirculated coin

References

Sources

Coins
Coins of the United States

Proof coinage


The Mystery of the Vanished Prince is a children's novel by Enid Blyton. It was published in 1951. It is the ninth book in the Five Find-Outers series.

The main characters in the story are Fatty, Bets, Pip, Larry and Daisy. The prince Bongahwah is kidnapped and the children solve this mystery.

1951 books
English children's books

The Mystery of the Vanished Prince


Nii Ayikoi Otoo is a Ghanaian lawyer and politician. He belongs to the New Patriotic political party. He served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Ghana in the John Agyekum Kufour administration. He is currently Ghana's high commissioner to Canada.

Early life and education
Nii Ayikoi Otoo was born in Mamprobi, a town in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, to E. K. A. Otoo and Emelia Otoo. He attended Ebenezer Secondary School in Accra and obtained his GCE Ordinary Level certificate. He had to move to Sekondi in the Western Region of Ghana so he could attend Fijai Secondary School. After obtaining his GCE Advanced Level certificate he was admitted to the University of Ghana in 1976 to pursue a degree in law. Upon completion in 1979, Nii Ayikoi Otoo enrolled at the Ghana School of Law. He was called to the Ghana Bar in 1981.

Working life
Lawyer Ayikoi Otoo did his one-year mandatory national service and then sojourned to Nigeria. When he returned to Ghana, he was employed by Adamafio & Associates, a law firm in Accra where he worked for over 20 years. In the early 2000s, he started his own chambers called Otoo & Associates Leo Chambers at Laterbiokorshie in Accra. He served as secretary and later president of the Greater Accra Bar Association. He worked with his learned colleague Nana Akuffo-Addo on the National Council of the Ghana Bar Association.

Political life
Ayikoi Otoo was appointed as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice by President John Agyekum Kufour in 2005 to succeed Papa Owusu-Ankomah. He ended his term as the minister in April 2006 after a ministerial reshuffle. Hon. Joe Ghartey was named in his place.
He was chairman of the Constitutional Committee of the New Patriotic Party in 2010 and was a member of the party's Vetting Committee that vetted the presidential hopefuls for the 2011 primary.
In December 2011 Ga Adamgbe youth petitioned the leadership of the New Patriotic Party to consider making Ayikoi Otoo the running mate to the then Presidential candidate, Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo. Nana Akuffo-Addo eventually settled on Mahamudu Bawumia as his running mate.
In March 2017 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appointed Ayikoi Otoo as Ghana's High Commissioner to Canada.

Personal life
Ayikoi Otoo is married to Patrica Otoo, with whom he has six children.

References

Living people
Date of birth unknown
Place of birth unknown
Attorneys General of Ghana
20th-century Ghanaian lawyers
Ghana School of Law alumni
High Commissioners of Ghana to Canada
Justice ministers of Ghana
New Patriotic Party politicians
University of Ghana alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century Ghanaian lawyers

Ayikoi Otoo


Deployment cost–benefit selection in physiology concerns the costs and benefits of  physiological process that can be deployed and selected in regard to whether they will increase or not an animal's survival and biological fitness. Variably deployable physiological processes relate mostly to processes that defend or clear infections as these are optional while also having high costs and circumstance linked benefits. They include immune system responses, fever, antioxidants and the plasma level of iron. Notable determining factors are life history stage, and resource availability.

Immunity
Activating the immune system has the present and future benefit of clearing infections, but it is also both expensive in regard to present high metabolic energy consumption, and in the risk of resulting in a future immune related disorder. Therefore, an adaptive advantage exists if an animal can control its deployment in regard to actuary-like evaluations of future benefits and costs as to its biological fitness. In many circumstances, such trade-off calculations explain why immune responses are suppressed and infections are tolerated. Circumstances where immunity is not activated due to lack of an actuarial benefit include:
 Malnutrition
 Old age
 Hibernation
 Parasitism (low or high risk)
 Sexually transmitted diseases (low or high risk)
 Light patterns associated with winter (probable resource shortage)

Fever
Cost benefit trade-off actuary issues apply to the antibacterial and antiviral effects of fever (increased body temperature). Fever has the future benefit of clearing infections since it reduces the replication of bacteria and viruses. But it also has great present metabolic (BMR) cost, and the risk of hyperpyrexia. Where it is achieved internally, each degree raise in blood temperature, raises BMR by 10–15%. 90% of the total cost of fighting pneumonia, goes, for example, on energy devoted to raising body temperature. During sepsis, the resulting fever can raise BMR by 55%—and cause a 15% to 30% loss of body mass. Circumstances in which fever deployment is not selected or is reduced include:
 Aged individuals—the burden of tolerating infection will exist for a short time which reduces the actuarial future benefits of clearing an infection compared to the costs of its removal. This change favors reduced or no deployment of fever.
 When internal resources are limited (such as in winter), and the ability to afford high expenditure on increased metabolism is reduced. This increases the risks of activating fever relative to its potential benefit, and animals are less likely to use fever to fight infections.
 Late Pregnancy

Antioxidants
Antioxidants such as carotenoids, vitamin C, Vitamin E, and enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) can protect against reactive oxygen species that damage DNA, proteins and lipids, and result in cell senescence and death. A cost exists in creating or obtaining these antioxidants. This creates a conflict between the biological fitness benefits of future survival compared with the use of these antioxidants to advantage present reproductive success. In some birds, antioxidants are diverted from maintaining the body to reproduction for this reason with the result that they have accelerated senescence Related to this, birds can show their biological capacity to afford the cost of diverting antioxidants (such as carotenoids) in the form of pigments into plumage as a costly signal.

Hypoferremia
Iron is vital to biological processes, not only of a host, but also to bacteria infecting the host. A biological fitness advantage can exist for hosts to reduce the availability of iron within itself to such bacteria (hypoferremia), even though this happens at a cost of the host impairing itself with anemia. The potential benefits of such self impairment is illustrated by the paradoxical effect that providing iron supplements to those with iron deficiency (which interferes with its antibacterial action) can result in an individual being cured of anemia but having increased bacterial illness.

See also
 Adaptation
 Cost–benefit analysis
 Evolutionary medicine

Notes

Evolutionary biology
Physiology


Lesson No. 1 is the debut solo EP by American avant-garde musician Glenn Branca. It was released in March 1980 on 99 Records.

It was originally released on 12" vinyl, as 99 Records' first release. The EP was remastered and re-released in 2004 by Acute Records. The re-release includes the bonus track "Bad Smells". In 2014, Superior Viaduct re-released Lesson No. 1 in its original 12" vinyl format as a double LP with "Bad Smells".

History
In the late 1970s, Branca was a member of no wave band Theoretical Girls. While he was out of town touring with the Static, Max's Kansas City invited Theoretical Girls to perform for a 1979 Easter festival. Branca convinced the venue to book him for a solo gig, and he assembled a group that included Barbara Ess and Christine Hahn. The group performed "Instrumental for Six Guitars", and its sound convinced Branca to continue composing for multiple guitars. He began performing solo at rock clubs and avant-garde venues such as The Kitchen. Branca "wanted to make sure [his music] was understood as rock and nothing else."

Branca knew Ed Bahlman, who sold independent singles at a store run by his girlfriend, and asked Bahlman if he would be interested in starting a label and releasing a record by Branca. Bahlman knew little about recording, pressing, and distributing records, but Branca had some experience with Theoretical Records. Having seen some of Branca's shows, Bahlman agreed and decided to make Lesson No. 1 the first release by 99 Records.

Branca needed guitar players to form a large guitar orchestra, and he posted fliers at record stores in downtown New York City. He held auditions at his apartment where he conducted guitar players. Thurston Moore, who performs on "Bad Smells", auditioned at the recommendation of his girlfriend Kim Gordon but was rejected. Rhys Chatham of the Gynecologists was initially upset after hearing the new band, feeling that it was reusing his ideas.

Branca's group performed around New York and was invited to perform at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. When three musicians pulled out, he recruited guitarist Lee Ranaldo. Ranaldo had seen Branca's ensemble perform at The Kitchen and lived in the same building as Branca's friend, pianist Anthony Coleman. Branca bought tickets providing unlimited flights for three weeks for what became his first tour. The tour began in December 1980 and included Ranaldo, Ned Sublette, David Rosenbloom, Jeffrey Glenn, and Stephan Wischerth. They traveled the country performing "Lesson No. 1 for Electric Guitar", "Dissonance", and "Compositions". Ranaldo, who performed with a six-string guitar strung with E6 strings, emerged as a foil to Branca. The two would playfully butt heads or guitars onstage. Some of the tour's audiences were unfamiliar with art music and heckled the band by calling the work "devil's music".

Composition

Lesson No. 1 applies repetitive techniques that Branca learned from Chatham and Jeff Lohn. It combines these minimal music compositions with the aesthetics of punk rock. Branca uses dense overtones and shifting melodies created from repeated electric guitar parts. The guitars build during extended crescendoes.

"Lesson No. 1 for Electric Guitar" was inspired by Joy Division's 1980 single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and the work of composer Steve Reich. It opens with two-note guitar figures similar to Reich's experiments with phasing. It introduces one-note parts on the organ and bass that gives the sense of harmonic progression, and drums enter the arrangement three minutes into the track. The piece is a structured improvisation where Branca specified the musical and tonal structures, but the strumming technique was improvised.

"Dissonance" is performed by Branca and Michael Gross on guitar, F.L. Schröder on bass, Coleman on organ, Wischerth on drums, and Harry Spitz on sledgehammer. Its polyrhythms imitate the constant motion of urban life. "Bad Smells" was originally commissioned by Twyla Tharp for a dance piece but was instead included on a 1982 spoken word record by John Giorno. The song features five guitarists: Branca, Sublette, Rosenbloom, Moore, and Ranaldo.

Reception and impact

Upon Lesson No. 1s original release, John Rockwell wrote for The New York Times that "the effects and textures Mr. Branca achieves are really remarkable, and the sound…is unlike anything in music." AllMusic called the EP "a powerful, wrenching, transcendent piece of rock guitar classicism". Slant Magazine said that the EP is "primarily interesting as a historical curiosity that provides deeper insight into the genesis of Branca's music". Pitchfork Media commented that "the sound remains close enough to grab hold of you and lift you into Branca's intense world." The publication included "Lesson No. 1 for Electric Guitar" in its collection of The Pitchfork 500.

Despite only selling a few thousand copies, Lesson No. 1 became a seminal work in New York City's no wave movement. It became an influence on Moore and Ranaldo's work as members of alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and it paved the way for other experimental rock bands such as Swans. "Lesson No. 1 for Electric Guitar" is included in Soul Jazz Records' 2003 compilation New York Noise.

Track listing
 "Lesson No. 1 for Electric Guitar" – 8:17
 "Dissonance" – 11:37
 "Bad Smells" – 16:30
 2004 bonus track, recorded in 1982

Personnel
Glenn Branca – guitar, assistant producer (1,2)
Anthony Coleman – organ, keyboards
Michael Gross – guitar
F.L. Schröder (aka Frank Schroder) – bass
Stephan Wischert – drums
Harry Spitz – sledgehammer
Thurston Moore – guitar (3)
Lee Ranaldo – guitar (3)
David Rosenbloom – guitar
Ned Sublette – guitar
Jeffrey Glenn – bass
Mark Bingham – producer (1,2)
Ed Bahlman – assistant producer (1,2)
Craig Bishop – engineer (1,2)
Jim Bonnefond – mixing engineer (1,2)
Howie Weinberg – master engineer (1,2)
James Farber – producer (3)
Don Hunerberg – recording & mixing engineer (3)

Notes

References

External links

Glenn Branca albums
1980 debut EPs
99 Records EPs

Lesson No. 1


Generative Pre-trained Transformer 1 (GPT-1) was the first of OpenAI's large language models following Google's invention of the transformer architecture in 2017. In June 2018, OpenAI released a paper entitled "Improving Language Understanding by Generative Pre-Training", in which they introduced that initial model along with the general concept of a generative pre-trained transformer.

Up to that point, the best-performing neural NLP models primarily employed supervised learning from large amounts of manually labeled data. This reliance on supervised learning limited their use of datasets that were not well-annotated, in addition to making it prohibitively expensive and time-consuming to train extremely large models; many languages (such as Swahili or Haitian Creole) are difficult to translate and interpret using such models due to a lack of available text for corpus-building. In contrast, a GPT's "semi-supervised" approach involved two stages: an unsupervised generative "pre-training" stage in which a language modeling objective was used to set initial parameters, and a supervised discriminative "fine-tuning" stage in which these parameters were adapted to a target task.

The use of a transformer architecture, as opposed to previous techniques involving attention-augmented RNNs, provided GPT models with a more structured memory than could be achieved through recurrent mechanisms; this resulted in "robust transfer performance across diverse tasks".

Reason for choosing BookCorpus
BookCorpus was chosen as a training dataset partly because the long passages of continuous text helped the model learn to handle long-range information. It contained over 7,000 unpublished fiction books from various genres. The rest of the datasets available at the time, while being larger, lacked this long-range structure (being "shuffled" at a sentence level).

The BookCorpus text was cleaned by the ftfy library to standardized punctuation and whitespace and then tokenized by spaCy.

Architecture
The GPT-1 architecture was a twelve-layer decoder-only transformer, using twelve masked self-attention heads, with 64-dimensional states each (for a total of 768). Rather than simple stochastic gradient descent, the Adam optimization algorithm was used; the learning rate was increased linearly from zero over the first 2,000 updates to a maximum of 2.5×10−4, and annealed to 0 using a cosine schedule.

While the fine-tuning was adapted to specific tasks, its pre-training was not; to perform the various tasks, minimal changes were performed to its underlying task-agnostic model architecture. Despite this, GPT-1 still improved on previous benchmarks in several language processing tasks, outperforming discriminatively-trained models with task-oriented architectures on several diverse tasks.

Performance and evaluation
GPT-1 achieved a 5.8% and 1.5% improvement over previous best results on natural language inference (also known as textual entailment) tasks, evaluating the ability to interpret pairs of sentences from various datasets and classify the relationship between them as "entailment", "contradiction" or "neutral". Examples of such datasets include QNLI (Wikipedia articles) and MultiNLI (transcribed speech, popular fiction, and government reports, among other sources); It similarly outperformed previous models on two tasks related to question answering and commonsense reasoning—by 5.7% on RACE, a dataset of written question-answer pairs from middle and high school exams, and by 8.9% on the Story Cloze Test.

GPT-1 improved on previous best-performing models by 4.2% on semantic similarity (or paraphrase detection), evaluating the ability to predict whether two sentences are paraphrases of one another, using the Quora Question Pairs (QQP) dataset.

GPT-1 achieved a score of 45.4, versus a previous best of 35.0 in a text classification task using the Corpus of Linguistic Acceptability (CoLA). Finally, GPT-1 achieved an overall score of 72.8 (compared to a previous record of 68.9) on GLUE, a multi-task test.

References

Large language models
Generative pre-trained transformers
Software using the MIT license
OpenAI

GPT-1


Johannes Christian Brünnich  (11 September 1861 – 3 July 1933) was an Australian agricultural chemist.

Brünnich was the son of Christian Christoph Brünnich, a Lutheran pastor and mathematician, and his wife Pauline Therese, née Kühnehe and was born at Gorizia, then in Austria-Hungary, now Italy. Raised in Bohemia, he was educated in Switzerland after his family moved there in 1874 and obtained his knowledge of chemistry at the federal polytechnic school at Zurich. He travelled in Russia and for a period was chemist in a sugar-mill in Bohemia. While performing Swiss military service in 1884, he met Dr J. J. Mueller of Gayndah, Queensland, and decided to emigrate to Australia, arriving in Brisbane early in 1885.

In 1887, Brünnich became chief chemist and mill manager for the Colonial Sugar Refining Company at Homebush, near Mackay. In 1897 he was appointed government agricultural chemist in the new Queensland Department of Agriculture. For about 35 years he advised the department on a multiplicity of problems relating to agriculture in Queensland, and drafted many bills for the government relating among other things to fertilizers, stock foods, pure seeds and the destruction of pests. He also made scientific investigations into the prickly pear problem, the use of dipping fluids, water pollution and the provision of phosphatic licks for stock. He was vice-president of the Royal Society of Queensland in 1907, president in 1908 and treasurer in 1909-14.

Brünnich did valuable pioneer work in his investigations of pasture composition and set a high standard in his department. Generally he was a strong influence in the development of applied chemistry during his time. He retired from the agriculture department in September 1931 and died of cerebro-vascular disease on 3 July 1933. In 1886, he married Kate Terry, who survived him with two sons and three daughters. He was a foundation member and fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and was elected a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain in 1905. In 1908, he was president of the Royal Society of Queensland.

References

1861 births
1933 deaths
Australian chemists
People from Gorizia
Royal Society of Queensland
Fellows of the Royal Institute of Chemistry

Johannes Christian Brunnich


Kendrick "Kenny" L. McKinley (January 31, 1987 – September 20, 2010) was an American football wide receiver for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at South Carolina.

Early years
Born in Mableton, Georgia, he graduated from South Cobb High School in Austell in 2005. As a quarterback during his senior year, he passed for 1,470 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 750 yards while scoring 12 touchdowns. He was rated the 29th-best player in the state of Georgia and the 54th-best athlete in the country by Rivals.com.

Collegiate career
As a true freshman while playing for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, in 2005, he worked his way into the starting lineup at wide receiver and also handled the punt return duties. He started six games and ranked third on the team with 25 catches for 291 yards and returned 18 punts for 83 yards.

During his sophomore year in 2006, McKinley started all 13 games and recorded 51 receptions and 880 yards, which ranked second on the team behind Sidney Rice. McKinley's best game was an eight-catch, 110-yard effort against Auburn, the first 100-yard receiving day in his career.

He would go on to earn first-team honors from: the SEC coaches (All-SEC), the Associated Press and CollegeFootballNews.com. He was second-team All-SEC by Rivals.com and honorable mention All-America honors from CollegeFootballNews.com.

Despite playing with turf toe most of the year, as the Gamecocks' #1 receiver, McKinley not only led the team but led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in receptions (a then school-record 77), receptions per game (6.42) and in receiving yards per game (80.7). He also was number one at South Carolina in yards (968) and touchdowns (9). He had four 100-yard receiving games in 2007, including a school record 14 catch performance against Tennessee where he had a career-best 151 yards.

In 2008, McKinley entered his senior year as an All-America candidate that was in position to break every
South Carolina school career receiving record. He began the 2008 campaign ranked tied for fourth in career receptions (153), sixth in career receiving yards (2,139) and tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns (15) in Carolina history. Despite being out of the lineup for a three-game stretch due to a right hamstring strain, he set school career records for receptions and receiving yards, while also closing out his career second on the school's all-time touchdown catches list. McKinley also placed his name in the SEC record books. His 207 receptions placed third in conference annals, becoming just the fifth SEC player to amass more than 200 catches in a career. He also became the 12th player in league history to record more than 2,700 receiving yards (2,781).

Professional career
McKinley was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round, 5th pick (141st overall) during the 2009 NFL Draft.  McKinley played in eight games in 2009 as a kick returner. He returned seven kicks for a total of 158 yards. He also recorded 3 special teams tackles.

He was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury on December 28, 2009.

Death

McKinley was found dead on September 20, 2010, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. His death was reported as a suicide by local media, and later confirmed by members of the Arapahoe County Sheriff's office.

A 131-page report was released by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Department on December 1, 2010, concluding the investigation into McKinley's death. It stated that depression over debt, injury and his post-playing career were the main factors for his suicide.  The report stated that McKinley had a gambling problem and was deep in debt.  His freshman roommate O.J. Murdock was also highly touted going into college, eventually being signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent. Murdock also died by suicide because of depression, injuries, and issues in his personal life on July 30, 2012.

References

External links

Denver Broncos bio
South Carolina Gamecocks bio

1987 births
2010 suicides
2010 deaths
People from Mableton, Georgia
People from East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Players of American football from Austell, Georgia
American football wide receivers
American football return specialists
South Carolina Gamecocks football players
Denver Broncos players
Suicides by firearm in Colorado

Kenny McKinley


United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3236, adopted by the 29th Session of the General Assembly on November 22, 1974 recognizes the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, officializes United Nations contact with the Palestine Liberation Organization and added the "Question of Palestine" to the U.N. Agenda.

Full text

3236 (XXIX). Question of Palestine

The General Assembly,

Having considered the question of Palestine,

Having heard the statement of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people,(*)

Having also heard other statements made during the debate,

Deeply concerned that no just solution to the problem of Palestine has yet been achieved and recognizing that the problem of Palestine continues to endanger international peace and security,

Recognizing that the Palestinian people is entitled to self-determination in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,

Expressing its grave concern that the Palestinian people has been prevented from enjoying its inalienable rights, in particular its right to self-determination,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter,

Recalling its relevant resolutions which affirm the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination,

 Reaffirms the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people in Palestine, including:
 (a) The right to self-determination without external interference;
 (b) The right to national independence and sovereignty;
 Reaffirms also the inalienable right of the Palestinians to return to their homes and property from which they have been displaced and uprooted, and calls for their return;
 Emphasizes that full respect for and the realization of these inalienable rights of the Palestinian people are indispensable for the solution of the question of Palestine;
 Recognizes that the Palestinian people is a principal party in the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East;
 Further recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to regain its rights by all means in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations;
 Appeals to all States and international organizations to extend their support to the Palestinian people in its struggle to restore its rights, in accordance with the Charter;
 Requests the Secretary-General to establish contacts with the Palestine Liberation Organization on all matters concerning the question of Palestine;
 Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its thirtieth session on the implementation of the present resolution;
 Decides to include the item entitled "Question of Palestine" in the provisional agenda of its thirtieth session.

 Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-ninth Session, Plenary Meetings, 2282nd meeting, para. 3-83.

Voting results
The result of the voting was the following:

Approve:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Reject:
, , , , , , ,

Abstentions:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

See also

 List of the UN resolutions concerning Palestine
 UN Security Council Resolution 242

References

External links

3236
1974 in law
Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the United Nations
1974 in the United Nations
November 1974 events


Rajendra Singh Shekhawat, also known as Raosaheb Shekhawat, is a politician in the Indian state of Maharashtra. He is a former Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Amravati constituency of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Family
Shekhawat is the son of Pratibha Patil, the former President of India, and Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat, a former MLA and First Mayor of Amravati. He has a sister.

Politics
Shekhawat, who has a son and a daughter, was a car dealer in Mumbai from 1990 until he became a politician. Prior to being elected to the state legislature in 2009, Shekhawat had worked for the Indian National Congress (INC) for a decade. He had been vice-president of the Amravati District Congress Committee and secretary of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee, as well as having involvement with the Seva Dal and Youth Congress. He had been looking for an opportunity to be elected since 2004.

Shekhawat won the Amravati Vidhan Sabha seat in the 2009 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections. Standing as a candidate of the INC, he defeated the incumbent, Sunil Deshmukh, by 5614 votes. There were accusations that Shekhawat's family connections had influenced the INC decision to select him as a candidate, which had in turn caused Deshmukh - previously himself an INC representative - to stand as an independent. Shekhawat's mother and father had in the past been elected to represent the town in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha, respectively.

Shekhawat again contested the Amravati seat in the 2014 elections, as also did Deshmukh. On this occasion, it was Deshmukh, now standing as a candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party, who emerged as winner.

References

Indian National Congress politicians
Living people
Maharashtra MLAs 2009–2014
Year of birth missing (living people)
Pratibha Patil
Children of presidents of India
Indian National Congress politicians from Maharashtra

Rajendra Singh Shekhawat


Lee Delano (January 19, 1931 – October 8, 2017) was an American character actor.

Career
Delano was born in New York City. He graduated from the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater, where he studied with Sandy Meisner for acting and Martha Graham for dance. His classmates included Joanne Woodward, Susan Oliver and Steve McQueen. McQueen convinced Delano to make the move west to Hollywood where he began to obtain guest roles in episodes of numerous television series, including the original Star Trek in "A Piece of the Action". Delano's tough guy looks and legitimate stage training made him a natural for 'cops and crooks' roles.

In 1968, Sid Caesar hired Delano to replace his longtime improvisational co-star Carl Reiner. Delano co-starred with Caesar on-stage and television around the world, including appearances at the Kraft Music Hall in London, Hollywood Palace, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and theaters and concert halls throughout the United States. These engagements included a four-month stint with Caesar and Imogene Coca at Michael's Pub Cabaret, and a run on Broadway.

An association with Mel Brooks led to roles in the films High Anxiety (as an orderly with one half a mustache) and Silent Movie. He also appeared in dramatic roles in Report to the Commissioner and Executive Action, in which he played one of three assassins of President John F. Kennedy.

Delano co-founded the Oxford Theater with Jack Donner in Los Angeles. Their students included Barry Levinson, Craig T. Nelson, Barbara Parkins, and Don Johnson.

Filmography

References

External links
 Lee Delano website

American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
Male actors from Los Angeles
Male actors from New York City
1931 births
2017 deaths

Lee Delano


Microshock refers to the risk that patients undergoing medical procedures involving externally protruding intracardiac electrical conductors, such as external pacemaker  electrodes, or saline filled catheters, could suffer an electric shock causing ventricular fibrillation (VF) due to currents entering the body via these parts.

Some definitions related to micro-shock

It is important to note that microshock (or micro-shock) are not IEV defined terms and are not used in any international standard.

"Micro-shock" is an otherwise imperceptible electric current applied directly, or in very close proximity, to the heart muscle of sufficient strength, frequency, and duration to cause disruption of normal cardiac function.

Note: It can be safely assumed (and it usually is) that micro-shock is only possible during certain medical procedures as the electric current needs to be focused directly into the heart by some conductor inserted by invasive means for some desired medical outcome (for example Cardiac Catheterisation).

Micro-shock, if it occurs, is not always lethal. "Micro-electrocution" is the term that should be used whenever a micro-shock causes death.

"Macro-shock" is when a much larger current is passed through the body, usually via a skin to skin pathway, but more generally the current is not applied directly through the heart muscle. The current in macro-shock events can vary widely from being imperceptible to being extremely destructive of tissue. (see Macroshock)

"Electric Shock" is usually referring to macro-shock. (see Electric Shock)

"Electrocution" is usually referring to a macro-shock that has caused prolonged or severe disruption of normal cardiac function - ultimately leading to death. (see Electrocution)

Theory
Microschock requires direct electrical connection to the heart muscle and is normally illustrated using a diagram such as Figure 1 (from TGE).

(an image is to be uploaded here shortly)

In this scenario the patient has inadvertently contacted both a source of current (it does not have to be AC, as shown) as well as a common return pathway during an invasive cardiac medical procedure. If the current flowing is below the threshold of perception, or the patient is sedated, or anaesthetized, there may be no pain or reflex response of either arm. If the current flow continues for sufficient time, at sufficient strength, the patient may die. Because of the low current and lack of patient response, this death may be unexpected, and without any obvious cause. In practice, however, this has never been proven to have happened.

To a novice, however, this scenario looks incredibly dangerous, and it is therefore worth examining in some detail.

Firstly, let's follow the current path. There is a generic source of current. This source can be either large or small, as only a small voltage is required to drive the low current for micro-shock. Such sources might be, a wall socket, a faulty item of equipment, an inappropriate item of equipment, a poorly designed item of equipment, or an item of equipment designed to deliver current into the body. Our patient has unfortunately contacted one such source and current is dispersing through their right arm and upper torso, to eventually converge on a catheter (as labelled – but it could be a lead or wire) that is placed into their heart. This concentration of current flow at the heart muscle is the danger from micro-shock.  If the catheter is conductive and insulated, the current may follow the catheter, emerging through the skin into some other item of equipment. For the circuit as shown to be complete, the conductive part of the catheter needs to also be connected to ground within this equipment. Finally, the hazardous circuit is complete – current can flow and if it continues the patient is in mortal danger. Again, while this is theoretically possible this has never been proven to have actually happened.

So, why is this situation not arisen? The details are explored below but the basic presumptions that a patient will simultaneously contact the mains, with a catheter inserted, using equipment that grounds the catheter, is very, very unlikely. Also most electrical connections made in or around a patients heart will be those of medical electrical equipment. Medical electrical equipment, which have such applied parts, are constructed to strict standards that limit the allowable currents flowing via such connections (applied parts). This ensures the safety of the patient.

History
There has never been a documented case of microshock. A U.S. Senate inquiry in the early 1970s, sparked by exaggerated reports of thousands of U.S. hospital patients dying of microshock, heard expert testimony about the effect. A review of the evidence in the early 2000s found that not a single case had been reported in the 30 years since the Senate inquiry. Regular checks of the FDA's MAUDE database also show no evidence of this risk being manifest, before or since the review.

Based on studies with dogs by Prof Leslie Geddes in the middle of last century, it is theorised that a current as low as 10 μA (microampere) directly through the heart, may send a human patient directly into ventricular fibrillation. Of course, the exact outcome is dependent on the duration of the current, the exact position of contact, the frequency of current oscillation, and the timing of the shock with the hearts rhythm e.g. R on T phenomenon. It is feared that such a small current may be introduced unwittingly, and unobserved, creating a very perilous situation for the patient. To guard against this slim theoretical possibility then, modern medical devices include a range of protective measures to limit current in cardiac-connected circuits to the assumed safe levels of below 10 μA (microampere) . These measures include isolated patient connections, high impedance connections and current limiting circuits. Despite the in-built protections, and lack of observed incidents, microshock continues to be a concern to many practitioners of the fields of Biomedical and Clinical Engineering.

Despite the evidence of decades of absence of reports, in any condition where electrical conductors are run into the body in proximity of the heart (i.e. cardiac catheterizations) precautions are still taken to ensure hazardous current is not introduced through these conductors and it is still regarded as a high risk activity.

See also
Macroshock
Electric Shock

Notes

References
Gross J (2005) Less Jolts from Your Volts: Electrical Safety in the Operating Room. ASA Refresher Courses in Anesthesiology. 33(1):101-114
Ridgway M The Great Debate on Electrical Safety  - in Retrospect in Clinical Engineering Handbook, 1st Edition, Chapter 65, J Dyro (ed) Academic Press 2004
O'Meley P L Who's Afraid of Microshock - presentation to SMBE NSW Conference, Albury NSW, 2011
Hsu J The Hypertextbook http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/JackHsu.shtml accessed 23 July 2013
FDA MAUDE Database http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfmaude/TextSearch.cfm accessed 25 July 2013
Road Safety Report http://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/downloads/fatality_rate_1908_to_2009.pdf accessed 25 July 2013
IEV Electropedia produced by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) http://www.electropedia.org
IEC/TS 60479-1 - Effects of current on human beings and livestock https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/25402

Biomedical engineering
Cardiac electrophysiology

Microshock


Alexis Jordan (born April 7, 1992) is an American singer and actress. Jordan was born in Columbia, South Carolina, as the last child of a mixed race mother and a Puerto Rican father. Her musical career started when she performed the opening act for American singer Smokey Robinson at a Stevie Wonder tribute concert. In 2006, she auditioned for the first season of America's Got Talent and sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing". She was later eliminated from the show and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, with her family. Jordan uploaded videos of her cover versions on her official YouTube account. She was discovered by Stargate, which flew Jordan to New York to record a few songs. She met American rapper Jay-Z and signed a recording contract with his new record company, StarRoc/Roc Nation.

In September 2010, Jordan released "Happiness", which peaked at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs. It was her first number-one single. "Happiness" was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 210,000 copies. Jordan released her debut album Alexis Jordan a few months later. Around this time, Jordan was appearing in two television series. She was nominated for "Best International Act" and "Best Push Act" and won "International Hit of the Year" for her single "Happiness".

Life and career

1995–2008: Early life and career beginnings
Alexis Jordan was born in Columbia, South Carolina, on April 7, 1992. Jordan was born as the last child, she also has three older siblings. Her mother is of African American, Native American, and European descent, while her father is Puerto Rican. Jordan began writing songs when she was in third grade. When she was eleven years old, her family moved to Santa Clarita, California, so she could have a career in the arts. The following year, Jordan was the opening act for Smokey Robinson at a Stevie Wonder tribute concert.

In 2006, Jordan auditioned for the first season of America's Got Talent. At the auditions, she sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" as a cover version. Jordan made it to the next round, but was eliminated from the show during the semi-finals. Jordan and her family then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to be closer to the music industry. Jordan began uploading cover versions on her official YouTube account, and submitted demos to record companies across the nation. By 2008, Jordan's YouTube page had reached a million views. After seeing her uploaded videos, Stargate asked Jordan to record a few songs with them. They flew Jordan to New York. While Jordan was in the recording studio, rapper Jay-Z entered. After they talked, Jordan became the first artist to be signed with Sony Music label StarRoc/Roc Nation, which is owned by Jay-Z.

2010–present: Alexis Jordan and second album
After Jordan signed a record deal with Jay-Z's record studio, she released her debut single "Happiness" in September 2010. "Happiness" peaked at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, becoming Jordan's first number-one single. The song also peaked at number one in Norway and the Netherlands. It peaked at number three in Australia and the United Kingdom. The single was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), for shipments of 210,000 copies. "Good Girl" was Jordan's second single, released in February 2011. It debuted at number six on the UK Singles Chart, giving Jordan her second top-ten hit in the United Kingdom. "Good Girl" peaked at number 15 in Ireland, and later became her second chart-topper on Billboards Hot Dance Club Songs in April 2011. Jordan released her self-titled debut album Alexis Jordan on February 25, 2011. The album debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart, and number 11 on the Australian Albums Charts.

Jordan's third single, "Hush Hush", was released on May 8, 2011. Jordan became a supporting act for English group JLS' tour in the United Kingdom for a month. She also appeared on T4 on the Beach in the United Kingdom, where she performed "Hush Hush" and "Good Girl" from her first album. Jordan recorded a duet with reggae singer Sean Paul for his single "Got 2 Luv U", which peaked at number one in Switzerland and Bulgaria. The editor of Take40 called Jordan one of the current "hottest artists", behind Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne.

Jordan was one of many headliners for the Boston Pride Parade in June 2012. The parade is an annual event held in Boston, Massachusetts for LGBT people. Jordan told the Daily Record that she is working on her second album. She stated that "It is a big departure from what I have done."

Discography

Alexis Jordan (2011)
TBA (2012)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

Other websites

1992 births
Living people
Singers from South Carolina
American television actors
actors from South Carolina

People from Columbia, South Carolina
American R&B singers
American R&B musicians
American contemporary R&B singers
American pop singers
American pop musicians
American dance musicians
American hip hop musicians
American hip hop singers

Alexis Jordan


Isabella Minna Veronica Wagner, better known as Veronica (born July 7, 1987), is a gymnast who competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics as a member of the Swedish Olympic team. She is coached by Staffan Söderberg.

Wagner was born in Stockholm, and started gymnastics at the age of 5. She progressed quickly through the sport's levels, qualifying as an international elite at the age of 12. She is Sweden's most successful gymnast, having won the national title 7 times (2002, 2004–2008 and 2011) and represented her country at the Olympics, World Championships and European Championships. She has also been a finalist at several World Cup events and in the 2009 Worlds all-around competition.

Wagner is a powerful and innovative gymnast, particularly on the floor exercise. She pioneered the double piked front, which she successfully competed at the 2006 European Championships. She performed well at these championships, with a score that would have been good enough to place her 13th if an all-around competition had been held. She competed with the Swedish team at the 2006 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, and while the team did not qualify for the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which served as qualifiers to the Olympics, Wagner qualified as an individual. She stated in an interview with International Gymnast magazine that her goals for 2007 were to win a World Cup medal and to qualify to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Wagner achieved both of these goals. At the 2007 World Championships, she qualified to her second Olympic Games as an individual competitor for Sweden. She also had World Cup success in 2007: She won the silver medal on vault at the Maribor World Cup, held in Slovenia, and two gold medals (vault and balance beam) and a bronze (floor) at the Buenos Aires World Cup.

After winning the Swedish Championships in June 2008, Wagner was told that the Swedish Olympic Committee would not send her to Beijing to compete in the Olympic Games. A fan-driven petition was created in protest.

After this disappointment, Wagner continued to compete in gymnastics. At the 2009 World Championships, she qualified to the all-around final for the first time in her career.

For the 2012 Olympics, she was contracted by Swedish national television as a commentator for the gymnastics competition.

Results

2002 Swedish Championships - 1st AA
2003 Northern European Championships  - 2nd AA, 1st FX, 1st BB, 7th UB, 1st V
2003 Swedish Championships - 2nd AA
2003 Swedish Cup           - 1st AA
2004 Swedish Championships - 1st AA, 1st V
2004 Olympic Games         - 55th AA
2005 Swedish Championships - 1st AA, 1st FX, 2nd BB, 8th UB, 2nd V
2005 World Championships   - 30th AA
2006 Swedish Nationals     - 1st AA, 1st FX, 1st BB, 2nd UB, 1st V
2006 Ghent World Cup       - 6th V
2006 French International - 6th BB, 5th FX
2006 North European Championships - 1st AA, 3rd UB, 1st BB, 1st FX
2006 World Championships - 62nd AA
2007 Maribor World Cup - 2nd V, 7th BB

References

External links

1987 births
Living people
Swedish female artistic gymnasts
Gymnasts at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Olympic gymnasts for Sweden
Gymnasts from Stockholm

Veronica Wagner


Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson (August 6, 1892 – August 23, 1962) was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitioned from silent films to become a leading performer in Hollywood's growing cowboy film industry.

During the period between World War I and World War II, he was second only to cowboy film legend Tom Mix as a box office draw. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

Early life
Born Edmund Richard Gibson in Tekamah, Nebraska, he learned to ride a horse as a young boy. His family moved to California when he was seven years old. As a teenager, he worked with horses on a ranch, which led to competition on bucking broncos at area rodeos.

Given the nickname "Hoot Owl" by co-workers, the name evolved to just "Hoot". (Michael Wallis' book, The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West, says that Gibson "picked up the nickname 'Hoot' while working as a bicycle messenger for Owl Drug Company." Dan L. Thrapp's Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography says that Gibson "is said to have been nicknamed because he once hunted owls in a cave.") Hoot, himself, stated in an episode of "You Bet Your Life" (January 19. 1956), that he acquired the nickname "Hoot", when he used to look for hoot owls in caves as a child in Nebraska.

Career

While acting for Gibson was a minor sideline, he continued competing in rodeos to make a living. In 1912, he won the all-around championship at the famous Pendleton Round-Up in Pendleton, Oregon and the steer roping world championship at the Calgary Stampede.

Gibson's career was temporarily interrupted with service in the United States Army during World War I as a sergeant in the Tank Corps. When the war ended, he returned to the rodeo business and became good friends with Art Acord, a fellow cowboy and movie actor. The two participated in summer rodeo, then went back to Hollywood for the winter to do stunt work. For several years, Gibson had secondary film roles (primarily in Westerns) with stars such as Harry Carey. By 1921, the demand for cowboy pictures was so great, Gibson began receiving offers for leading roles. Some of these offers came from up-and-coming film director John Ford, with whom Gibson developed a lasting friendship and working relationship.

Financial difficulties and later life

From the 1920s through the 1940s, Gibson was a major film attraction, ranking second only to Tom Mix as a Western film box-office draw. He successfully made the transition to sound films, and as a result, became a highly paid performer. After being released by Universal Pictures in the early 1930s, he signed a contract with the Poverty Row outfit Allied Pictures, making a series of profitable releases for the company. He appeared in his own comic books and was popular until singing cowboys such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers displaced him.

In 1927, Gibson and five other California businessmen sponsored The Spirit of Los Angeles, a modification of the International CF-10 for an attempt at winning the Dole Air Derby. Gibson had his name painted on the nose for publicity. The aircraft crashed in the San Francisco Bay before the start of the race. In 1933, Gibson injured himself when he crashed his plane while racing cowboy star Ken Maynard in the National Air Races. Later, the two friends teamed to make a series of low-budget movies in the twilight of their careers.

Gibson's years of substantial earnings did not see him through his retirement. He had squandered much of his income on high living and poor investments. By the 1950s, Gibson faced financial ruin, in part due to costly medical bills from serious health problems. To get by and pay his bills, he earned money as a greeter at a Las Vegas casino. For a time, he worked in a carnival and took virtually any job his dwindling name value could obtain. At one point he hosted a booth at rodeos that encouraged ranchers to raise nutria. He also appeared in an episode of Groucho's You Bet Your Life, filmed in December 1955. He made the final game with his contestant, but did not win the big money, though he earned himself a share of the $440 prize money for the show.

Personal life
On September 6, 1913, Gibson married Rose August Wenger, a rodeo performer. They had met at the Pendleton Round-Up in Oregon sometime between 1911 and 1913. Under the name Helen Gibson, she became a major film star in her own right for a time, notably in the lead role of The Hazards of Helen. Census records for 1920 indicate they were living separately; Hoot Gibson listed himself as married; Helen listed herself as widowed.

Gibson married vaudeville actress Helen Johnson on April 20, 1922, in Riverside, California. They had one child, Lois Charlotte Gibson. They were divorced on February 2, 1929, in Hollywood, California.

The fact that Hoot Gibson was consecutively married to two women who used the name Helen Gibson in some fashion has led to a good deal of confusion.

Gibson married film actress Sally Eilers on June 28, 1930. The marriage ended in 1933.

Gibson married a final time to Dorothy Dunstan, a 22-year-old yodeler, on July 3, 1942.

Death
Hoot Gibson died of cancer in 1962 in Woodland Hills, California at age 70, and was interred in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.

Legacy
In 1960, for his contribution to film, Gibson was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was honored with a star at 1765 Vine Street in the Motion Pictures section. In 1979, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

In popular culture
References to Gibson in American media include:

From Here to Eternity (1951): "'I wonder,' he said,' what ever happened to old Hoot Gibson? I can just barely remember him. My God, he had grey hair when I was just a kid."
The Carpetbaggers (1961): "'The Bijou's got a new Hoot Gibson picture,' Tommy said."
 The Bullwinkle Show: Hoot Gibson is mentioned in "The Lion and the Aardvark" episode of Aesop and Son.
The Beverly Hillbillies (1963): A phony relative, Jake Clampett, manipulates the Clampett family into pursuing Hollywood dreams in an attempt to further his own filmmaking ambitions. Granny is on to him when he isn't familiar with Hoot Gibson, but Jake wins her over by promising her a role in a Hoot Gibson picture.
Petticoat Junction (1966): In Season 3 Episode 27, "Second Honeymoon", Charlie and Floyd (The Cannonball engineers) are discussing the poetic quote, "As each returning spring renews the promise of youth, so a second honeymoon renews the dream of love in two blissful hearts." Charlie attributes the quote to Hoot Gibson. Charlie adds, "He said it to his horse."
Myra Breckinridge (1968 novel): "More than ever was Buck, revoltingly, the Singin' Shootin' Cowboy, so inferior in every way to Hoot Gibson."
 Laverne & Shirley (1977): Hoot Gibson is mentioned in "Guilty Until Proven Not Innocent" Season 2 Episode 11. Shirley exclaims, "Good God! It's the devil and Hoot Gibson!"
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (1987 novel): "Most of those guards are pretty simpleminded old boys ... they'll go to a picture show and see Tom Mix or Hoot Gibson and then they come back and ride around the farm, pulling their guns, trying to be cowboys."

Filmography

References

External links

 Hoot Gibson at b-westerns.com
 Photographs of Hoot Gibson

1892 births
1962 deaths
People from Tekamah, Nebraska
Male actors from Nebraska
American male film actors
American film producers
American male silent film actors
American stunt performers
Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery
Deaths from cancer in California
Male Western (genre) film actors
20th-century American male actors
All-Around
Roping (rodeo)
Articles containing video clips

Hoot Gibson