Bill Bruford's Earthworks were a British jazz band led by drummer Bill Bruford. The band recorded several albums for Editions EG, Discipline Global Mobile and Summerfold Records.

Earthworks went through several line-ups: in addition to the band's accomplishments as a unit, Earthworks was a training ground for Django Bates, Iain Ballamy, Patrick Clahar, Mark Hodgson, Steve Hamilton and Gwilym Simcock. The final band line-up featured previously established jazz musicians in the form of Chick Corea sideman Tim Garland and veteran bass player Laurence Cottle. In interviews during the band's earlier years, Bruford sometimes compared his responsibilities within it as being similar to those of Art Blakey with the Jazz Messengers, in that he was providing an environment for young British jazz players to gain attention and experience before going on to become well-known players and bandleaders in their own right.

The initial version of Earthworks strongly stressed an acoustic/electronic jazz fusion style, balancing Bruford's electronic Simmons drums (frequently used for melodic or chordal parts) and Bates' synthesizer work against the traditional acoustic elements of Ballamy's saxophones and Bates' tenor horn. Although the band's initial formation featured double bass, the band subsequently used electric bass guitar until 1993. From 1998 onwards, Earthworks was predominantly an acoustic band, with double bass and piano rather than electric instruments and with Bruford returning to an acoustic drumkit. The band was formally disbanded in January 2009 when Bruford decided to retired from active music.

History

Background

A professional musician since 1968, Bill Bruford had originally been a drum superstar in the British progressive rock movement. Initially becoming famous with the band Yes (with whom he spent five years), he recorded the landmark albums Fragile and Close To The Edge before quitting the band in 1972 on the verge of huge financial success. He went on to join King Crimson, with whom he cut several albums culminating in 1974's Red. By the late 1970s Bruford had also put in stints with Genesis, Gong, Roy Harper, National Health and U.K.

Bruford's drumming style and musical outlook had always strongly and sincerely referenced jazz. He began to explore this area more formally in Bruford, the jazz-rock fusion band he led between 1977 and 1980 and which (among others) featured future fusion superstars Allan Holdsworth and Jeff Berlin, as well as National Health keyboardist Dave Stewart. By 1984 (and while coming off the end of a four-year King Crimson reunion) Bruford's interest in playing jazz had been revived by his improvising piano-and-drums partnership with Patrick Moraz. By now a firm advocate and endorser of the Simmons electronic drumkit, Bruford began to explore how this instrument could be introduced into a creative jazz context.

Earthworks mark 1 (1986-1993)

Foundation (1986)

Bruford initially established Earthworks in 1986 as The Bill Bruford Quartet with a line-up of himself on acoustic and Simmons drums, Django Bates on keyboards, tenor horn and trumpet, Iain Ballamy on saxophone and Mick Hutton on double bass. Both Ballamy and Bates were continuing members of the legendary British big band Loose Tubes, while Hutton had previously collaborated with Bates in the latter's band Humans (later Human Chain) and was also playing with both Ballamy and Bates in the quartet First House (led by alto saxophonist Ken Stubbs). In 1986, all three had been playing together in a putative Ballamy-led band when Bruford got in touch.  Ballamy would comment in 2003 that Bruford had in effect joined Ballamy's band rather than setting up his own from scratch, although admitting Bruford "(would) probably see it a different way.") Following a debut tour in Japan, the band formally changed their name to Bill Bruford's Earthworks.

Debut album, early tours (1986-1988)

In October 1986, the band recorded their debut album, Earthworks, with frequent Bruford collaborator Dave Stewart in the producer's chair. Stewart also contributed bass synthesizer and "very occasional" keyboards (most notably on "Making a Song and Dance" and "Pressure") while his wife and musical partner Barbara Gaskin added sampled vocals to Ballamy's ballad "It Needn't End In Tears". The album also featured the first outing for Bates' composition "Emotional Shirt". Live work continued in 1987 around Bruford's work with David Torn and others, and Bates and Ballamy's commitments to Loose Tubes. Gigs in Britain and the USA were generally well received, and the band completed the year with a 22-date German tour.

In summer 1988, Earthworks toured again. This tour was blighted by imminent tragedy (Ballamy's girlfriend Jess had developed terminal cancer) and internal tension between Hutton and Ballamy, which culminated in the two men coming to blows backstage at a concert in Bergen University in Norway. The West Coast leg of the planned American tour was ultimately abandoned in order to allow Ballamy to fly home to marry Jess and spend the last few weeks of her life with her. One final concert (the second of two shows that day) at the Minneapolis Riverfest was played as a trio, with Bates playing Ballamy's parts on tenor horn (while continuing to cover his main role as keyboard player).

Tim Harries replaces Mick Hutton; Dig? album; interruptions (late 1988-1990)

Having given Ballamy some time to mourn and with Mick Hutton having left the band following the American tour, Earthworks reconvened in autumn 1988 with a new bass player, Tim Harries (another former Bates collaborator who'd also played with Steeleye Span). As well as double bass, Harries played electric bass guitar and was an accomplished funk player, further emphasising the "electric jazz" aspect of the band. This lineup recorded the second Earthworks album Dig? in Cornwall in November. The album was a far more unified band effort, without the sometimes excessive producer involvement displayed on the debut album.

In December 1988, Bruford became involved with a rock music project headed by his former Yes colleague Jon Anderson (which soon revealed itself to be the all-but-in-name Yes reunion, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe). The resulting album and tour took up most of his time for the remaining year, although Earthworks played a 12-date European tour in June. Work on a second Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album took up most of 1990, especially when the band was drawn into an eight-man Yes reunion. By now, Bruford had become disillusioned with his Yes-related work and welcomed the opportunity to escape on two Earthworks tours, one in June and the other in October.

All Heaven Broke Loose album; further touring (1991-1992)

Earthworks reconvened in January 1991 to record their third album All Heaven Broke Loose in Germany, with Bruford and David Torn co-producing. The album recording - set against the background of the First Gulf War - was "difficult" (according to Bruford). The Earthworks situation was not improved by Bruford's involvement with the Yes "Union" tour during the first half of the year, although Earthworks did manage concerts in Europe and Japan in the autumn. (Another warning of changes to come had already arrived on the Yes tour with the humiliating breakdown of Bruford's Simmons drumkit onstage at Madison Square Gardens on 15 June, necessitating a quick return to a minimal acoustic kit.)

On its release All Heaven Broke Loose was greeted as Earthworks' most accomplished album to date. It featured the first appearance of the future Django Bates standard "Candles Still Flicker In Romania's Dark". Co-producer Torn's trademark atmospheric looping technique is clearly audible in the introduction of tracks such as Forget-Me-Not and Temple of the Winds. In early 1992, Earthworks played more dates in Germany. Following Bruford's final commitments to the "Union" tour in March, the band reconvened in April and July for the trans-Canada jazz festivals.

End of Earthworks mark 1 (1993)

In 1993, Earthworks played an eighteen date German tour culminated by an "excellent" and well-received concert at the Jazz Café, London. Despite Earthworks' revived musical opportunities, practical problems were beginning to dog the band. By this point, Bruford was increasingly aware of the technical limitations of the electronic Simmons drums he had once championed. Although arguably the most advanced electronic percussion set in existence, the Simmons kit's pioneering technology meant that it was difficult to service, fragile (as evidenced by frequent damage at airport baggage reclaim), unpredictable and unreliable (as had been humiliatingly demonstrated at the Yes concert in Madison Square Garden). Furthermore, it enforced a rigidity of playing style that handicapped both Bruford and the musicians he worked with. Bruford now realised that the nature of the Simmons drums worked against "the suppleness and flexibility required for jazz performance" and concluded (with regret) that Earthworks had "reverted to being a rock group with some jazz musicians in it."

An equally pressing problem was the fact that Django Bates had now outgrown Earthworks. With the release of his second album Summer Fruits (And Unrest) his own career as a bandleader was beginning to take off. As both composer and performer Bates was a key part of the band, and his imminent and inevitable departure would irrevocably change it. Following a "last, stiff, uncomfortable date" in September 1993, the first lineup of Earthworks came to an end and all four musicians went their separate ways. The band would be commemorated with a live album (1994's Live – Stamping Ground, taken mostly from American dates) and the subsequent compilation Heavenly Bodies. Ballamy would continue to work with Bates and to develop his own solo career, while Harries continued with Steeleye Span and session work.

Earthworks mark 2 (1997-2008)

Foundation (late 1997-early 1998)

Between 1994 and 1997, Bruford returned to his progressive rock career, this time with a revived King Crimson. He had however, managed to continue to do jazz-related work with the Buddy Rich Big Band and with his fusion group B.L.U.E (Bruford Levin Upper Extremities) which also featured Tony Levin, Chris Botti and David Torn. Most notably, in 1997 Bruford recorded a fully-fledged jazz album with American jazz stars Ralph Towner and Eddie Gómez, called If Summer Had Its Ghosts.

Having retreated from the soured King Crimson situation in late 1997, Bruford met the young Scottish pianist Steve Hamilton, whose musicianship inspired him to launch a new version of Earthworks.  With Hamilton on board, Bruford recruited double bass player Geoff Gascoigne and former Incognito saxophonist Patrick Clahar (the latter a former acid jazz and funk musician intent on pursuing and developing his jazz roots). In comparison to the electro-acoustic experimentation of the original band, the second version of Earthworks was an almost entirely acoustic band with Bruford now having abandoned electronic drums altogether and returned to an acoustic kit (uniquely configured in symmetrical fashion). The only electronic instrumentation in the band was the infrequent use of a digital keyboard synthesizer by Hamilton.

Renewed touring; A Part, and Yet Apart (1998-1999)

In late 1998, following initial UK concerts, the band (now featuring a new double bass player, Mark Hodgson) began recording the fourth Earthworks album, A Part, and Yet Apart. The album featured a set of new tunes, almost entirely written by a revitalised and confident Bruford. This was in contrast to the previous Earthworks lineup, in which Bates and Ballamy had written a much greater proportion of the material.

In January 1999 the new Earthworks played in the United States, visiting California and the East Coast. Reviews were encouraging to fair (and certainly better than the review of the subsequent London gig) and encouraged a return trip to America in October, during which the band played up and down the East Coast. The tour included Earthworks' first gig at New York's legendary Birdland club. During the same year, A Part, And Yet Apart was released on Earthworks' new record label (the King Crimson associated Discipline Global Mobile) and the band played at jazz festivals in Eastern Europe.

By this point (and in spite of financial incentives to do otherwise), Bruford had firmly ditched the rock music past which had dogged him since his first jazz-related projects in the late 1970s. He was now concentrating entirely on a jazz approach. As part of this he had become not only the bandleader and main composer for Earthworks, but also (in true cottage industry fashion) the band's manager, booking agent and publicist.

Work with Larry Coryell; The Sound of Surprise (2000-2001)

During 2000, Earthworks played several London dates with veteran jazz guitar star Larry Coryell, who subsequently covered for Patrick Clahar for a Spanish tour which the saxophonist had to miss due to illness. In October, the band embarked on a 19-date British tour and began recording their next album in the last months of the year, with Bruford producing in addition to his other duties.

Earthworks toured Japan, Spain, South Africa and the western UK prior to the May 2001 release of the band's fifth studio album The Sound of Surprise. Once again, the music had been predominantly composed by Bruford, but in future he would pass all compositional duties over to other members in order to concentrate on running the band.  From a business perspective this worked well, as Earthworks were now finally making money on tour and were the only British jazz quartet to regularly tour the United States. This was reflected by the year's successful sixteen-date tour across America, during which the band made live recordings for future release. In the autumn, the band made a "disappointing" appearance at the Cork Jazz Festival.

Tim Garland replaces Patrick Clahar (late 2001)

At the end of 2001, the band went through another lineup change when Patrick Clahar was asked to leave the band. This was to enable Bruford to replace him with Tim Garland, a British saxophonist and composer who'd become a valued sideman for Chick Corea, and who Bruford thought would help to revive Earthworks' creative fortunes. Clahar's time with the band would be further represented on 2002's double live album Footloose and Fancy Free recorded at London's Pizza Express in 2001, and on the companion DVD Footloose in NYC recorded at the Bottom Line, New York City during the 2000 American tour.

First years with Garland; Random Acts of Happiness (2002-mid-2004)

Revitalised by Garland's arrival, Earthworks played a series of gigs in Germany and Japan, followed by more American dates on the East Coast and in the Mid-West plus (back in the UK) a concert date with former Police drummer Stewart Copeland. In September the band toured South America, visiting four countries in five days. Despite these efforts and successes the band was beginning to suffer as concert opportunities diminished. An exception was a UK tour in the spring of 2003 which enabled the band to practise new Tim Garland-composed material and culminated in a headlining season at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. In the autumn, a new live album was recorded in Oakland, California. This would be released in March 2004 as Random Acts of Happiness.

Also in 2004, Bruford ended his business relationship with Discipline Global Mobile and set up two small interrelated record labels of his own, Summerfold and Winterfold. The former of these was to become Earthworks' home for both new and archive releases (including the brand new Random Acts of Happiness).

Gwilym Simcock replaces Steve Hamilton; more changes including work with The Underground Orchestra (2004)

In April 2004 Steve Hamilton was replaced as Earthworks pianist by Gwilym Simcock, an outstanding young musician who was already being widely talked about and who now needed to build the foundations of a career. At around this time, Bruford was losing patience with the economic and bureaucratic nature of a transatlantic music career which constantly created obstacles with visas and musicians union demands. Although he would use his regular musicians when he could (including for studio recording dates), future Earthworks performances in the United States would use local musicians as and where required.

Earthworks toured the UK between April and July 2004, during which period the band teamed up with the Tim Garland-led nonet The Underground Orchestra for several dates. The combined band took the name of Earthworks Underground Orchestra. A New York version of the band was recorded in concert and the results were eventually released in 2006 as the album Earthworks Underground Orchestra (credited to Bruford/Garland).

Last working years (2005-2007)

During 2005, Bruford mostly sidelined Earthworks to concentrate on running the increasing reissue programme on Summerfold and Winterfold. Bruford performed with various versions of the band for occasional concerts around the world, and more Earthworks recordings were made with a lineup of Bruford, Garland, Simcock and bass guitarist Laurence Cottle (who had replaced Hodgson). However, Bruford has subsequently confessed to having been uncertain about Earthworks' artistic future during this particular year.

In 2006, the band travelled to South East Asia, during which time Bruford noticed that drum clinic appearances now appeared to be more popular than live band shows. Nonetheless more concerts followed in Spain, Poland and Scandinavia. Bruford was also determined to take the full British version of Earthworks to New York regardless of the financial risk. He did so in November 2006, balancing the budget with the money he was now getting from clinic work and solo appearances. There were no Earthworks gigs in 2007, although Summerfold released two Video Anthology DVDs.

Final split (2008)

In the summer of 2008, Earthworks played a concert at Ronnie Scott's in London which proved to be the band's final appearance.  Following twenty-two years of effort, Bruford had concluded that music business economics and the relationship of work to reward (and even to the practical business of survival) would no longer support either the band or himself. Although the reissue programme on Summerfold continued, Earthworks as an ongoing project was finally and formally closed down on 1 January 2009 (along with all of Bruford's other live and studio projects) when the drummer announced his retirement from playing music at anything other than a teaching level. Cottle returned to various sessions and sideman work, Garland to his other projects, and Simcock (who was now attracting a great deal of critical and music industry attention) to a burgeoning cross-disciplinary career in both jazz and classical music.

Album covers

All of Earthworks' album covers were created by illustrator and designer Dave McKean. McKean is also a jazz pianist, having worked with former Earthworks saxophonist Iain Ballamy on a number of musical projects.

Members

Full band members

Bill Bruford - acoustic and electronic drums, percussion (1986–2008)
Iain Ballamy - saxophones (1986–1993)
Django Bates -  piano, keyboards, tenor horn, trumpet, pocket trumpet (1986–1993)
Mick Hutton - double bass (1986–1988)
Tim Harries - double bass, bass guitar (1988–1993)
Steve Hamilton - piano, keyboard (1997–2004)
Patrick Clahar - saxophones (1997–2001)
Geoff Gascoigne - double bass (1997–1998)
Mark Hodgson - double bass (1998–2005)
Gwilym Simcock - piano, keyboard (2004–2008)
Tim Garland - saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute (2001–2008)
Laurence Cottle - bass guitar (2005–2008)

Timeline

Guests
Dave Stewart - synthesizers & synth bass (1986 - studio only)
Julian Argüelles - saxophone (occasional depping)
Larry Coryell - guitar (2000 - tour only)
Various American musicians (2004-2006 - American live dates only)

Discography

Studio albums
 Earthworks (1987)
 Dig? (1989)
 All Heaven Broke Loose (1991)
 A Part, and Yet Apart (1999)
 The Sound of Surprise (2001)
 From Concept to Birth (from 2019 box set, 17 short tracks showing the process from demo to master)

Live albums and DVD albums
 Stamping Ground (live) (1994)
 Footloose and Fancy-Free (live) (2002)
 Footloose in NYC (2019 box set includes live 2CD) (2002)
 Random Acts of Happiness (2004) (featuring Tim Garland)
 Earthworks in Santiago, Chile (2019 box set includes 1CD, 1DVD)

Compilation albums

 Heavenly Bodies (compilation) (1997)
 Video Anthology Vol. 1 2000's (2019 box set includes live 2CD) (2007)
 Video Anthology Vol. 2 1990's (2019 box set includes live 2CD) (2007)
 Earthworks Complete (2019 box set 20 cd, 15 titles on 20CD, 4DVD)

Collaboration albums
 Earthworks Underground Orchestra (as Bruford/Garland) (2006)

References

British jazz ensembles
E.G. Records artists
Discipline Global Mobile artists

Earthworks (band)


France has a multi-party system, which means that several political parties must form coalitions in order to form a government. This is because it would be very difficult for any one party to win a majority of seats in the French National Assembly. Since the 1980s, there have been two major coalitions; one is a collection of right-wing parties and the other is a collection of left-wing parties.

Parties

Right-wing
National Rally (Rassemblement National; RN): nationalism, conservatism, euro-scepticism.

The Republicans (Les Républicains; LR) - Promotes conservatism, liberal-conservatism and nationalism. Replaced the Union for a Popular Movement (Union pour un mouvement populaire) in 2015.

Centrist
La République En Marche! - Promotes neoliberalism, economic liberalism, centrism, and pro-Europeanism. Founded by current French President Emmanuel Macron in 2016.

Left-wing
Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste) - Promotes social democracy.

La France insoumise - Promotes democratic socialism, environmentalism and pacifism.

French Communist Party (Parti Communiste Français) - Promotes communism.

Europe Ecology – The Greens - Promotes environmentalism

Royalists
Royal Alliance (Alliance Royale)

Nouvelle Action Royaliste

Democratic rally (Rassemblement démocrate)

Communists
Worker's Communist Party of France (Parti Communiste des Ouvriers de France)

Independent Worker's Party (Parti ouvrier indépendant) - Trotskyist

Pole of Communist Rebirth in France (Pôle de Renaissance Communiste en France)

Others
Pirate Party (Parti Pirate)

Frexit
Popular Republican Union (Union Populaire Républicaine) - Promotes movement of national liberation and Frexit.

Regionalist Parties

 Abertzaleen Batasuna - Basque nationalist
 Alsace d'abord (In English:Alsace First) - Alsace nationalist
 Savoyan League (Ligue savoisienne) - Savoy nationalist
 Breton Democratic Union (Union Démocratique Bretonne) - Breton nationalism
 Party of the Corsican Nation (U Partitu di a Nazione Corsa) - Corsican nationalism
 Corsica Libera - Corsican nationalism

France

France-related lists

List of political parties in France


Bundesliga is the name of the highest level of play in many different sports. Bundesliga literally means "Federal League", or league of the whole country. The word is used in the countries Germany and in Austria.  Soccer is the most popular sport in these countries. That is why Germany's soccer league is the best-known Bundesliga.

Bundesligen in Germany
 Other association football leagues:
 Frauen-Bundesliga – Women's top division association football in Germany (1990–present)
 Under 19 Bundesliga – Men's under 19 football (2003–present)
 Under 17 Bundesliga – Men's under 17 football (2007–present)
 Badminton Bundesliga
 Baseball-Bundesliga (1984–present)
 Basketball Bundesliga (1966–present)
 Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga (founded 1947), women's basketball
 Billard Bundesliga, carom billiards (1967–present)
 Bundesliga (artistic gymnastics)
 Bundesliga (baseball) (1984–present)
 Feldhockey Bundesliga (Men's field hockey)
 Feldhockey Bundesliga (Women's field hockey)
 Bundesliga (handball) (1965–present)
 Handball-Bundesliga (women) (founded 1975), women's handball
 Bundesliga (shooting) (1997–present)
 Bundesliga (speedway)
 Bundesliga (table tennis) (1966–present)
 Tennis Bundesliga (men) (1972–present)
 Bundesliga (volleyball)
 Bundesliga (weightlifting) (1964–present)
 Bundesliga (wrestling) (1964–present)
 Chess Bundesliga (1980–present)
 Cricket Bundesliga
 German Football League (1979–present), American football Bundesliga, renamed in 1999
 Ruder-Bundesliga (2009–present), rowing (eight)
 Roller Hockey Bundesliga (founded 1967), men's roller hockey
 Go-Bundesliga , Go
 Ice hockey
 Deutsche Eishockey Liga (1995–present)
 Ice hockey Bundesliga (1958-1994)
 German women's ice hockey Bundesliga (founded 1988), women's ice hockey
 Rugby
 Rugby-Bundesliga, rugby union (1971–present)
 Women's Rugby Bundesliga (1987–present), women's rugby union
 Unihockey-Bundesliga, Floorball
 World League eSport Bundesliga (2005-2006), video games

Bundesligen in Austria
 Austrian Football Bundesliga – men's football
 Austrian Football League – men's American style football
 Österreichische Basketball Bundesliga – men's basketball
 1. Rugby Bundesliga - men's rugby
 Austria women's ice hockey Bundesliga (founded 1988), women's ice hockey

Bundesliga (disambiguation)


Dialectical materialism is a philosophy of science, history, and nature. It was developed in Europe and  is based on the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.   Marxist dialectics say that  real-world conditions such as  class, labor, and socioeconomic interactions are important. This is a contrast to Hegelian dialectic, which says that contradictions in material phenomena can be resolved by analyzing them and finding a solution. Marx thought that the most effective solution to the problems caused by such contradictory phenomena was to address and rearrange the systems of social organization at the root of the problems.

Dialectical materialism accepts that the natural world changes. New qualities of being will come to light with each change. As Z. A. Jordan noted, "Engels made constant use of the metaphysical insight that the higher level of existence emerges from and has its roots in the lower; that the higher level constitutes a new order of being with its irreducible laws; and that this process of evolutionary advance is governed by laws of development which reflect basic properties of 'matter in motion as a whole'."

The formulation of the Soviet version of dialectical and historical materialism in the 1930s by Joseph Stalin and his associates (such as in Stalin's book Dialectical and Historical Materialism) became the official Soviet interpretation of Marxism.

References

Philosophy of science

Dialectical materialism


The South Bronx is an area in New York City, in the borough of the Bronx. It is known for its many inventions, and popularizations. In the 19th century it was Morrisania, owned by the Morris family. Late in the 19th century they sold most the land and it became an industrial suburb.

The South Bronx is well known for creating Hip-Hop in 1973, even though there is many disagreements of it starting in the South Bronx. Some people say it was created in Queensbridge, Harlem, Bed–Stuy, or Long Island. The South Bronx is well known for its graffiti and break-dancing.

The Bronx
Neighborhoods of New York City

South Bronx


Rudy Linterman (born October 30, 1947) is a former professional Canadian football running back who played for the Calgary Stampeders from 1968 through 1977, and for the Toronto Argonauts in 1977. He won the Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy in 1974.

Linterman finished with career totals of 157 games played with 1,399 rushing yards and 4,908 receiving yards and 20 career TDs. Perhaps he is best known for having 68 receiving yards in the terrible weather that accompanied the 1971 Grey Cup.

Rudy was added to the Wall of Fame at McMahon Stadium on September 14, 2012.

References

1947 births
Living people
Calgary Stampeders players
Canadian football running backs
Idaho Vandals football players
Canadian football people from Calgary
Players of Canadian football from Alberta
Toronto Argonauts players

Rudy Linterman


Henry Gibson (born James Bateman; September 21, 1935 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, comedian and poet. He played roles in the TV sketch-comedy series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1971, was the voice of the protagonist Wilbur in the animated feature Charlotte's Web (1973), portrayed country star Haven Hamilton in Robert Altman's film Nashville (1975) and the Illinois Nazi leader in The Blues Brothers (1980), and appeared in The 'Burbs (1989).

Early life
Gibson was born September 21, 1935, in Germantown, Philadelphia, the sixth of seven children of Edmund Alberts Bateman and his wife Dorothy (née Cassidy). He attended Saint Joseph's Preparatory School, where he was president of the drama club.

After graduating from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., he served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force with the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing in France from 1957 to 1960. Early in his career as a professional entertainer, he developed a comedy act in which he played a poet from Fairhope, Alabama. He adopted the stage name Henry Gibson, which is a same-sounding phrase for the name of famed Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. He also is known to have used the name Olsen Gibson.

Career
Gibson began his acting career at the age of eight years old as a touring performer for the Mae Desmond Theatre for nine years. He appeared in many stage and theater productions. Gibson made many appearances on Tonight Starring Jack Paar between 1957 and 1962, often reciting his poetry. In 1962, his appearance coincided with guest-host Jerry Lewis. Lewis, charmed by Gibson's demeanor, subsequently cast him in The Nutty Professor (1963). Gibson's career took off following this film appearance. That was followed in 1964 by his poetry-reciting cowboy character Quirt Manly on the popular show The Beverly Hillbillies. Around this time, Gibson appeared in an episode of My Favorite Martian.

Gibson spent three years as part of the Laugh-In television show's cast, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1971. He often played "The Poet", reciting poems with "sharp satirical or political themes". Gibson would emerge from behind a stage flat, wearing suit and tie and holding an outlandishly large artificial flower. He would bow stiffly from the waist, state "[Title of poem] — by Henry Gibson" in an ironic Southern U.S. accent, again bow stiffly from the waist, recite his poem and return behind the flat. Gibson's routine was so memorable that John Wayne actually performed it once in his own inimitable style: "The Sky — by John Wayne. The Sky is blue/The Grass is green/Get off your butt/And join the Marine(s)!", whereupon Wayne left the scene by smashing through the flat. Gibson also regularly appeared in the "Cocktail Party" segments as a Catholic priest, sipping tea. He would put the cup on the saucer, recite his one-liner in a grave and somber tone, then go back to sipping tea. In 1962, Gibson had issued a comedy album on Liberty records, titled Alligator. The album was rereleased in 1968, now titled ...by Henry Gibson, following his success on Laugh-In. The liner notes perpetuated the origin story of his being a country boy from Fairhope, Alabama. The album did not reach the Billboard Top 200 in either release. In 1968, Gibson appeared on the television show Bewitched as Napoleon Bonaparte. He appeared on Bewitched in 1970 as Tim O'Shanter, a leprechaun.  Around this time, Gibson also made recurring appearances in the 1969–1974 anthology Love, American Style.

During the 1960s, Gibson had appeared on The Dick Van Dyke Show reading the poem "Keep a-Goin", which he later turned into a song in the Robert Altman movie Nashville (1975). Notably, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Haven Hamilton in the film and won the National Society of Film Critics award for the role. The Nashville Tennessean called Gibson "the male superstar most surely to be in line for an Academy Award" and hailed his performance as being "so real to Music Row habitués as to be frightening." Gibson appeared in three other films directed by Altman: The Long Goodbye (starring Elliott Gould), A Perfect Couple, and Health.

In 1978, he appeared in The New Adventures Of Wonder Woman as the arch-villain Mariposa. Two years later, he appeared on The Dukes of Hazzard as Will Jason (Squirt) in the second-season episode "Find Loretta Lynn". The same year, he played the leader of the "Illinois Nazis" in the John Landis film The Blues Brothers; this became one of his better-known film roles. The next year, he appeared in The Incredible Shrinking Woman.

In the 1989 Joe Dante comedy The 'Burbs, starring Tom Hanks, Gibson played the villain. He reunited with director Dante a year later when Gremlins 2: The New Batch was released in 1990, performing a cameo as the office worker who is caught taking a smoking break on camera and fired by the sadistic boss. 1996 saw him playing an unusual dramatic role as former train conductor Robinson in the independent film Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day with Michael Stipe. That year, he was also the voice of Adolf Eichmann in Keith Gordon's film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's novel Mother Night. During 1999, Gibson made an appearance in Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia as an eccentric barfly who antagonizes former child prodigy Donnie Smith, played by William H. Macy.

Gibson also worked frequently as a voice actor in animation, most notably portraying Wilbur the pig in the popular Hanna-Barbera children's movie Charlotte's Web (1973). He later worked for the company again on the cartoon The Biskitts. Additionally, Gibson's voice work was featured on The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy as Lord Pain, King of the Hill as reporter Bob Jenkins, and Rocket Power as grouchy neighbor Merv Stimpleton.

Later television work included a guest role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine playing the Ferengi Nilva in the 1998 episode "Profit and Lace". Gibson also had a leading role in a season 5 episode of Stargate SG-1 entitled "The Sentinel" as the character Marul. His last major roles were in the 2005 film Wedding Crashers as Father O'Neil, and on the television show Boston Legal as supporting character Judge Clark Brown.

Personal life and death
On April 6, 1966, Gibson married Lois Joan Geiger. They had three sons together – Jonathan David Gibson, an executive at Universal Pictures; Charles Alexander Gibson, a director and visual effects supervisor; and James Gibson, a screenwriter. Lois died on May 6, 2007, at age 77.

Gibson died of cancer on September 14, 2009, one week before his 74th birthday. He was cremated at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, and his ashes were given to his family.

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography
The Alligator (1962)
The Grass Menagerie (1968)

Books
A Flower Child's Garden of Verses (1970)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

 Obituary at the Daily Telegraph

1935 births
2009 deaths
Male actors from Philadelphia
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male comedians
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
American sketch comedians
American male voice actors
American male musical theatre actors
American male poets
Deaths from cancer in California
St. Joseph's Preparatory School alumni
Catholic University of America alumni
Male actors from Greater Los Angeles
United States Air Force officers
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors

Henry Gibson


The C14 Timberwolf MRSWS is an bolt action sniper rifle that is manually operated and was originally developed by Canada.

The C14 Timberwolf uses the  .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, with a muzzle velocity (The velocity of bullet leaving the rifle) of over 823 meters per second and has a maximum effective range of 1,500 meters.

It is currently used in the Afghanistan war.

Rifles

C14 Timberwolf


A flame retardant is a chemical substance that makes things harder to burn. Some flame retardants are minerals or inorganic compounds like antimony trioxide or asbestos. Other flame retardants are special types of plastics and polymers. There are several ways flame retardants work. Some absorb heat when they are heated, stopping the thing from igniting. Others stop the heat from the fire from going into the thing. Flame retardants are used in textiles and bedding to prevent them from burning easily.

Firefighting

Flame retardant


The inauguration of Warren G. Harding as the 29th president of the United States happened on March 4, 1921. It was the start of the only term of Warren G. Harding as president and the only term of Calvin Coolidge as vice president.

A public ceremony happened on the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The event was the 34th presidential inauguration.

This was the first inauguration in which an automobile was used to transport the president-elect and the leaving president (Woodrow Wilson) to and from the Capitol. However, Wilson did not attend the ceremony himself because of a stroke he got two years before.

Chief Justice Edward D. White administered the oath of office to Harding. Thomas R. Marshall administered the vice presidential oath of office to Coolidge.

Harding did not finish his term as president, as he died on August 2, 1923. Calvin Coolidge then became the next president.

References

Other websites

Text of Harding's Inaugural Address

1920s in the United States
Warren G. Harding
Harding, Warren
March events
1921 in the United States

Inauguration of Warren G. Harding


The National Academy of Public Administration is an academic institution that was founded by James E. Webb, then-administrator of NASA, and other leading public administration practitioners in 1967 and chartered under Title 36 of the United States Code in 1984 under . The academy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on analyzing emerging trends in governance and public administration. It is one of the two organizations (the other being the National Academy of Sciences) chartered by Congress in this manner. Though the academy's funding comes primarily from studies that are congressionally requested or mandated, it is not considered a government agency. It is based in Washington, D.C. The group established the Louis Brownlow Book Award in 1968.

Background
The academy's studies are directed by a group of over 850 peer-elected fellows. Election to the National Academy is considered to be one of the highest honors by those engaged in the study or practice of public administration. The fellows are responsible for establishing the organization's policies and priorities and serving as advisers on panels, convened for each study, which issue the studies findings and recommendations.

Webb's impetus in forming the academy was to create an organization that would provide independent, nonpartisan and neutral advice to government leaders and agencies on all levels of government. The academy provides advice to a variety of organizations including:

 Various U.S. congressional committees
 U.S. Department of Energy
 U.S. Government Printing Office
 U.S. Office of Management and Budget
 U.S. Department of Defense
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 U.S. Department of Homeland Security
 U.S. Agency for International Development
 Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
 National Weather Service
 Federal Bureau of Investigation
 Small Business Administration
 Federal Aviation Administration
 University of California

Mission
As per the congressional charter, the academy's mission is:Through its trusted and experienced leaders, the Academy improves the quality, performance, and accountability of governments in the nation and the world. To this end, the Academy's Congressional Charter calls on it to:
 Evaluate the structure, administration, operation, and program performance of governments; anticipate, identify, and analyze significant problems; and suggest timely correct action;
 Foresee and examine critical issues in governance; and formulate practical approaches to their resolution;
 Assess the effectiveness, structure, administration, and implications for governance of present or proposed public programs, policies, and processes; and recommend specific changes;
 Advise on relationship of federal, state, regional, and local governments; increase public officials', citizens', and scholars' understanding of requirements and opportunities for sound governance and how these can be effectively met;
 Demonstrate by the conduct of its affairs a commitment to the highest professional standards of ethics and scholarship; and
 Investigate, experiment, and report upon any subject of government whenever called upon by Congress or the federal government.

Research
Through its studies, the academy has focused attention on a range of government issues, including:
 Strategy development and change management
 Organizational structure and design
 Program evaluation
 Human capital and multisector workforce
 Acquisitions, budget and finance
 Intergovernmental relations
 Workshops and outreach

Most studies are carried out under the direction of project panels which consist primarily of elected academy fellows. Recent studies include:
 Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement: Strategic Organizational Assessment (March 2017)
 Agricultural Research Service: Review of Administrative and Financial Management Services (February 2017)
 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Improving CDC's Executive Recruitment, Performance Management, Compensation and On Boarding Processes (February 2017)
 Federal Aviation Administration: Personnel Reform Effectiveness Assessment (January 2017)

Fellows

The academy's over 850 fellows are current and former public managers and scholars, business executives and labor leaders, Cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators, and diplomats who provide insight and experience as they oversee academy projects and provide general guidance. Fellows are also the academy's primary vehicle for addressing emerging issues and contributing to the intellectual and popular discourse on government. Fellows elect new members of the academy each year. The principal criterion for selection is a sustained and outstanding contribution to the field of public administration through public service or scholarship.

Some notable fellows include:
Robert Agranoff
Mary G. F. Bitterman
Michael M. Crow
James Hendler
Jonathan Koppell
Greg Lashutka
Shelley H. Metzenbaum
Colin Powell
James Perry
Alasdair Roberts
Donna Shalala
Dick Thornburgh
David Walker
William J. Walker
Daniel Weitzner

Board chairs

Current board

Current officers
 Reginald Robinson, chair
 Sallyanne Harper, vice chair
 Jonathan Fiechter, treasurer
 B.J. Reed, secretary
 Teresa Gerton, president and CEO

Current members
 Norton N. Bonaparte, Jr.
 Lawrence S. Cooley
 Judy England-Joseph
 Arnold Fields
 Martha Joynt Kumar
 Anne Khademian
 Kristine Marcy
 Jeffrey Neal
 Mark A. Pisano
 F. Stevens Redburn
 Myra Howze Shiplett
 David Van Slyke
 David Warm

Past board members
 John D. Millett (1970–1973)
 James A. Norton (1973–1974)
 Frederic N. Cleaveland (1974–1978)
 Alan L. Dean (1978–1981)
 Phillip S. Hughes (1981–1985)
 Elmer B. Staats (1985)
 Mark E. Keane (1985–1987)
 Joseph L. Fisher (1987–1991)
 Astrid E. Merget (1991–1993)
 Alfred M. Zuck (1993–1995)
 Peter L. Szanton (1995– 1997)
 Jonathan Howes (1997–1999)
 David S. C. Chu (1999–2001)
 Jane Pisano (2001–2001)
 Mortimer L. Downey (2001–2002)
 Carl Stenberg (2002–2004)
 Valerie Lemmie (2004–2007)
 J. Christopher Mihm (2007–2010)
 Kenneth S. Apfel (2010–2011)
 Diane M. Disney (2011–unknown)

Executive directors and presidents

 George A. Graham (1967–1972)
 Roy W. Crawley (1972–1976)
 George H. Esser (1976–1982)
 J. Jackson Walter (1982–1985)
 Ray Kline (1985–1992)
 R. Scott Fosler (1992–2000)
 Robert J. O'Neill, Jr. (2000–2002)
 Phillip M. Burgess (2002–2003)
 Howard M. Messner (2003–2003)
 C. Morgan Kinghorn (2003–2006)
 Howard M. Messner (2006–2007)
 Jennifer L. Dorn (2007–2010)
 Kristine M. Marcy (2011–2011)
 Dan Gregory Blair (2011–2016)
 Terry Gerton (2017–present)

See also
Good government organizations in the United States

References

External links

 The Collaboration Project
 Memos to National Leaders Project
 The Political Appointee Project

United States
Learned societies of the United States
Patriotic and national organizations chartered by the United States Congress
Non-profit organizations based in the United States

National Academy of Public Administration (United States)


Dexketoprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).  It is manufactured by Menarini, under the tradename Keral.  It is available in the UK, as dexketoprofen trometamol, as a prescription-only drug and in Latin America as Enantyum, produced by Menarini. Also, in Italy and Spain it is available as an over-the-counter drug (OTC) under the trade name Enandol or Enantyum. In Hungary it is available from a pharmacy as "Ketodex". In Turkey, it is an over the counter medicine under the name "Arveles". In Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia it is available as an OTC under the tradename Dolmen
 In Mexico it is available in tablet form as "Stadium" made by Menarini. It is the dextrorotatory stereoisomer of ketoprofen.

Chemistry
Dexketoprofen is the (S)-enantiomer of ketoprofen. Technically it is a chiral switch of (±)-ketoprofen. The switch was done for a faster onset of action, a better therapeutic value.

Medical uses
Short-term treatment of mild to moderate pain, including dysmenorrhoea. It is also used for migraines and knee pain.

Side effects
It may cause dizziness, and patients should not, therefore, drive or operate heavy machinery or vehicles until they are familiar with how dexketoprofen affects them. Concomitant use of alcohol and other sedatives may potentiate this effect. In a small subset of individuals the dizziness may be intolerable and require transition to an alternative treatment.

Pharmacology
Dexketoprofen belongs to a class of medicines called NSAIDs. It works by blocking the action of a substance in the body called cyclo-oxygenase, which is involved in the production of chemicals in the body called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are produced in response to injury or certain diseases and would otherwise go on to cause swelling, inflammation and pain. By blocking cyclo-oxygenase, dexketoprofen prevents the production of prostaglandins and therefore reduces inflammation and pain. Along with peripheral analgesic action, it possesses central analgesic action.

See also
Chiral switch
Enantiopure drug
Chirality

References

Propionic acids
Benzophenones
Enantiopure drugs
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Dexketoprofen


The Constitution of Albania started on 28 November 1998. It made Albania a parliamentary republic.  The constitution makes 140 deputies who elect the President of Albania and the Council of Ministers.  The Council is the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister.

Related pages
Constitution
Constitutionalism
Constitutional economics

Politics of Albania
Albania

Constitution of Albania


Vicente Zarazúa (born August 27, 1944) is a Mexican former tennis player. He played during the 1960s and 70s, and his best achievement was winning gold medals at the demonstration and exhibition tennis tournaments at the 1968 Summer Olympics.

Vicente Zarazúa was born at Tacubaya (Mexico) in 1944. Both his parents, who moved to Mexico City from Guanajuato, were amateur tennis players and took part in interclub competitions, with his mother, Rosario, also winning the national championships. Both his older brothers, Federico and José María, played amateur tennis at the interclub level.

As a junior, Vicente had a winning streak at the national level that stretched from 1959 to 1962, winning during this period Mexican national youth championships four times each in singles, boy doubles and mixed doubles. At the international level, he reached the finals of 1959 Orange Bowl in singles (lost to Charlie Pasarell) and, in 1962, won this tournament in doubles with Joaquín Loyo-Mayo.

Zarazúa was playing for the Mexico Davis Cup team from 1964, overall during his career having taken part in 16 ties. He won 14 rubbers, mostly in doubles, and lost 9. During these ties he achieved some of his best results, beating, together with the national team, the Americans in 1969 and then Australians in 1975. In both cases, he won the doubles rubbers (with Rafael Osuna in 1969 and with Raúl Ramírez in 1975). Another one of his highest achievements was the double victory (with Osuna) at the demonstration and exhibition Olympic tennis tournaments in Mexico in 1968.

In 2008, Vicente Zarazúa was introduced to the Hall of Fame of Immortals by the Mexican Council for Sport and Professional Spectacles (COMEDEP).

References

External sources
 Vicente Zarazúa at the Davis Cup website

Living people
Mexican male tennis players
Olympic tennis players for Mexico
Tennis players at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Tennis players from Mexico City
1944 births
Pan American Games medalists in tennis
Pan American Games silver medalists for Mexico
Tennis players at the 1963 Pan American Games
Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Mexico
Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in tennis
Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Mexico
20th-century Mexican people

Vicente Zarazúa


John Aylmer (Ælmer or Elmer; 1521 – 3 June 1594) was an English bishop, constitutionalist and a Greek scholar.

Early life and career
He was born at Aylmer Hall, Tilney St. Lawrence, Norfolk. While still a boy, his precocity was noticed by Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, later 1st Duke of Suffolk, who sent him to Cambridge, where he seems to have become a fellow of Queens' College. About 1541 he was made chaplain to the duke, and tutor of Greek to his daughter, Lady Jane Grey.

His first preferment was to the archdeaconry of Stow, in the diocese of Lincoln, but his opposition in Convocation to the doctrine of transubstantiation led to his deprivation and to his flight into Switzerland. While there he wrote a reply to John Knox's famous Blast against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, under the title of An Harborowe for Faithfull and Trewe Subjects, etc., and assisted John Foxe in translating the Acts of the Martyrs into Latin. On the accession of Elizabeth he returned to England. "God is English", Aylmer proclaimed in 1558, attempting to fill his parishioners with piety and patriotism. In 1559 he resumed the Stow archdeaconry, and in 1562 he obtained that of Lincoln. He was a member of the convocation of 1563, which reformed and settled the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England.

In 1577 he was consecrated Bishop of London, and while in that position made himself notorious by his harsh treatment of all who differed from him on ecclesiastical questions, whether Puritan or Roman Catholic. Various efforts were made to remove him to another see. He is frequently assailed in the famous Marprelate Tracts, and is characterised as "Morrell," the bad shepherd, in Edmund Spenser's Shepheard's Calendar (July). His reputation as a scholar hardly balances his inadequacy as a bishop in the transitional time in which he lived.  His Life was written by John Strype (1701).

He died in 1594 and was buried in St Paul's Cathedral. He had several children; his eldest son Samuel was the High Sheriff of Suffolk for 1626.

Works
"Aylmer, like John Ponet and Stephen Gardiner before him, is an important figure in the story of the reception of classical mixed government in Tudor England." John Aylmer wrote his work An harborowe for faithful and trewe subiectes (1559), to defend the female monarchy of Elizabeth I associating "the rule of boyes and women, or effeminate persons" and on another basis; "that cytie is at pits brinks, wherein magistrate ruleth lawes, and not the lawes the magistrate: What could any kyng in Israell do in that common wealth, besides the pollycie appointed by Moyses?".  His effort to familiarise his fellow countrymen with the "strange and alluring vocabulary of politics", introducing them to the classical forms and terminology, must be viewed as secondary to this primary goal.

Aylmer nevertheless described England as not "a mere monarchy, as some for lack of consideration think, nor a mere oligarchy, nor democracy, but a rule mixed of all these." 1 He goes on to say that in the mixed state, "each one of these have or should have like authority."  He argued that in the king-in-Parliament, or, in Elizabeth's case, the queen-in-Parliament, was not the "image" of a mixed state "but the thing in deed." It was in Parliament that one found the three estates: "the king or queen, which representeth the monarchy; the noble men which be the aristocracy; and the burgesses and knights the democracy." As he says, "In like manner, if the Parliament use their privileges: the king can ordain nothing without them." Parliamentary restraint of a queen's feminine vices would, according to Aylmer, ameliorate the disadvantages of female monarchy.

His work, particularly his characterisation of England as a mixed monarchy, would be important to later English constitutionalists.

Notes

References

External links

Likeness in the National Portrait Gallery
Historical Collection of the Life and Acts of John Aylmer by John Strype (1821 ed.)

1521 births
1594 deaths
English constitutionalists
Bishops of London
Archdeacons of Stow
16th-century Church of England bishops
People from King's Lynn and West Norfolk (district)
16th-century English writers
16th-century male writers
Marian exiles
Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge
English male non-fiction writers
16th-century English lawyers
16th-century Anglican theologians

John Aylmer (bishop)


Twelve Years a Slave is a book written by Solomon Northup.  It was published in 1853.  It is a true story.  Northup was a free black man living in New York before the American Civil War.  He was kidnapped and sold as a slave to Louisiana in 1841.  12 Years a Slave was made into a movie in 2013.

History

In the 1840s, it was legal for people in Southern states to buy and sell enslaved people who had been born to enslaved mothers. But it was not legal to take a free person, pretend they were a slave, and sell that person.  This is what happened to Solomon Northup.

After he was rescued in 1853, Solomon Northup traveled around the United States making speeches about his twelve years in the South.  He did this because he wanted American voters to stop slavery.  Later, he wrote down his speeches as a book. Editor David Wilson helped Northup write the book.  Some people have asked whether Wilson wrote most of the book for Northup. But Wilson said that he heard Northup tell the story out loud many times without ever making a mistake or changing it and that he, Wilson, only helped Northup write it all down.

The book is true, but Northup and his publisher, Derby, were influenced by Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, which was published one year earlier.  The book is dedicated to Harriet Beecher Stowe.  They marketed the book as "another Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin," meaning that, like Stowe's book, A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin, it explained and supported Uncle Tom's Cabin, proving that Stowe had not lied about how bad slavery was.

For many years, people forgot about 12 Years a Slave.  Historian Sue Eakin found a copy in 1930 when she was twelve years old.  When she grew up, she collected proof that Northup's story was true.  For example, she talked to people who had known Edwin Epps, and they said Epps had told them the story was true.

Structure

The first chapters of the book talk about Northup's family and his life as a free man in New York.  He is married and has children.  His wife is a cook.  He has had many jobs, as a farmer and carpenter, but he can also play the violin well.

While his wife is away on a cooking job, Northup meets men who say they want him to travel with them as a musician.  He agrees.  He makes sure he has papers proving he is a free man before traveling with them to Washington D.C.  But when they are in the city, the men drug him and steal the papers.  He wakes up in a cell because they have sold him as a slave.

Northup is taken south on a boat.  Some of the other captives have been slaves all their lives, but others are kidnapped free men like Northup.  Some of them plan to take over the boat and escape, but then they get sick and cannot.  Northup, who can read and write, writes a note to a white friend in New York saying what has happened to him.  One of the sailors promises to mail it for him.

In the rest of the book, Northup talks about living as a slave, about the people he meets, about the work he does, and about what he does to try to get home.  The slavers give Northup the fake name "Platt." Northup says that the first man who bought him, named Ford, was not very bad.  But the second man who bought him, named Tibeats, was cruel.  The third man, named Epps, was even worse.  He would hit and whip slaves no matter what they did.  He would wake them up and make them dance at night.  The next day, Epps would beat them if they did not work as hard as if they had had a full night's sleep.  Epps would force the slaves to beat and whip each other while he watched.  Northup talks about coming back to his cabin to find his cabinmate, Abram, covered in blood because Epps had stabbed him with a knife.  Northup talks about Patsey, a slave woman, whom Epps forces to have sex with him.  Northup talks about how Epps' wife hates Patsey even though it was not her fault.  One time, Patsey has gone to a friend to get a bar of soap.  Epps forces Northup to whip Patsey.

Northup always wants to go home to his family in New York.  Because he is legally a free man, his friends from New York can come and bring him home.  Northup must find a way to tell them where he is.  Northup tries to steal paper and ink so he can write a letter to his family in New York.  But he cannot go to the post office to send a letter himself.  He needs a white person to send the letter for him.  The first man he asks tells Epps, and Northup barely manages to talk his way out of trouble.  After some years, Northup finds a Canadian man who will send the letters for him.  The Canadian does so.

Northup's friends and family get the letter.  They talk to a white lawyer, Henry B. Northup, who talks to the governor of New York.  Henry Northup is given official permission to go to Louisiana to look for Solomon Northup and bring him back to New York.  Henry Northup travels to Washington D.C. to talk to a senator from Louisiana first then goes to Louisiana to talk to judges and officials.  He has trouble finding Solomon Northup because he does not know he is being called "Platt." Eventually, they find the Canadian, who tells them Solomon Northup's fake name.  Henry Northup finds Solomon Northup and shows the county sheriff proof that Solomon Northup really is a free man.  Solomon Northup goes north with Henry Northup.

Solomon and Henry Northup stop in Washington D.C. and the men who kidnapped Solomon are put on trial.  He is not allowed to testify.  The men are not convicted.  Then Solomon Northup goes home to his family.

Critical analysis

12 Years a Slave was a best seller.  It sold 25,000 copies in the first two years.  It was not as popular as Uncle Tom's Cabin but many people read it.

In modern times, book reviewers, for example the Los Angeles Review of Books, have examined and studied 12 Years a Slave.

Other websites
12 Years a Slave

References

Slavery
1853 books
American autobiographies

Twelve Years a Slave


The Katpana Desert at Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan, this desert is also known as the "Cold Desert".

There are Sand dunes in Skardu around the Indus river. This desert stretches from the Khaplu Valley to Nubra Ladakh and Shigar Skardu Valley to Zanskar, Occupied Kashmir, but the largest desert area is found in Skardu and Shigar valley. Locally called Biama Nakpo , biama thang and Katpana biama, the Katpana Desert is located near Skardu Airport while Shigar desert is located on the way to Shigar valley

References

Deserts of Pakistan

Katpana Desert


Budai (Chinese:布袋), pronounced Hotei in Japanese, also known as the Laughing Buddha, was a Buddhist monk in China. Many Chinese Buddhists believe he was a reincarnation of Maitreya, the person who will become the next Buddha after Gautama Buddha.

He has become incorporated into Buddhist, Taoist and Shinto. Images of him can be found in many temples, restaurants, and businesses. Budai has become a god of happiness and plenty in some forms of Taoism and Buddhism. In Japan, Hotei is one of the Seven Lucky Gods (Shichi Fukujin). He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the "Laughing Buddha" (Chinese:笑佛).

History

As Angida Arhat

Budai may be based on a monk that lived in the time of Sakyamuni Buddha. This monk's name was Angida, whose name means calico bag. According to legend, Angida was an Indian snake catcher who caught poisonous snakes to stop them from biting people. Budai and Angida look similar because they are both depicted as plump, laughing and carrying a bag.

As a Chinese Buddhist monk
In the Chinese tradition, Budai was a monk who lived in China around 907 to 923 CE. He was a man who was good and loving. Apart from his character, his likeness with the Maitreya Bodhisattva (the future Buddha) come from a Buddhist hymn (Chinese: 偈语; Pinyin: Jiéyǔ) which he said before his death:

彌勒真彌勒,化身千百億,時時示時人,時人自不識

Maitreya, the true Maitreyahas billions of incarnations.
Often he is shown to people at the time;other times they do not recognize him.

Description
Budai is almost always shown carrying a sack, which never empties, and is filled with many precious things, including rice plants (symbolizing wealth), sweets for children, food, and the sadness of the world. His duty is to protect the weak, the poor and children.

In Chinese Buddhist temples, Budai's statue is put in the front part of the entrance hall. He is shown as a stout, smiling or laughing man in robes with a largely bare belly, which represents happiness, good luck, and plenty.

Some statues show small children at his feet. Another item that is usually seen in Budai statues, is a begging bowl, which shows that he is a Buddhist. All of these images show Budai as a wandering monk who goes around and takes sadness from people. Because he represents richness and happiness, statues are often found in homes and businesses in China and Japan.

Chán Buddhism
The main story that concerns Budai in Chan is a short koan.

Phra Sangkadchai/ Phra Sangkachai
In Thailand Budai is sometimes confused with another monk that is respected in Thailand. Phra Sangkadchai or Shanghai (Thai: พระสังกัจจายน์), a Thai spelling of Mahakaccayanathera (Thai: มหากัจจายนเถระ), was a Buddhist monk in the time of the Buddha. The Buddha praised Phra Sangkadchai for his excellence in explaining complicated dharma (or dhamma) in an easily understandable way.

 Although both Budai and Phra Sangkadchai may be found in both Thai and Chinese temples, Phra Sangkadchai is found more often in Thai temples, and Budai in Chinese temples. Two points to distinguish them from one another are:

1. Phra Sangkadchai has a bit of hair on his head while Budai is bald.2. Phra Sangkadchai wears the robes in Theravadin Buddhist fashion with the robes folded across one shoulder, leaving the other uncovered. Budai wears the robes in Chinese style, covering both arms but leaving the front part of the upper body uncovered.

Folklore
One belief surrounding the figure of Budai in popular folklore is that if a person rubs his belly, it brings wealth, good luck, and prosperity. This belief however is not part of any Buddhist ritual, but is a part of a Chinese folk belief. He is often admired for his happiness, abundance, wisdom, and contentment.

Related pages
 Buddhism

References

Other websites
 Truetao.org Information on Hotei within I Kuan Tao
 An article on History of Maitreya & Hotei

Bodhisattvas
Chinese gods and goddesses
Gods and goddesses of Japan

Budai


Hugh Ramsay (25 May 1877 – 5 March 1906) was an Australian artist.

Early life and education

Ramsay was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 25 May 1877, the son of John Ramsay. He moved with his family to Melbourne in 1878. He was educated at Essendon Grammar School, and joined classes at the National Gallery of Victoria at age 16 under Lindsay Bernard Hall and became one of the most brilliant students ever trained there. He won several first prizes, and at the competition for the travelling scholarship held in 1899 was narrowly beaten by Max Meldrum, another student of unusual ability.

Career
Ramsay went to Europe in September 1900 and was fortunate in finding a kindred spirit, George Washington Lambert, on the same vessel - the SS Persic. Arriving at Paris, he entered Académie Colarossi and was soon recognised as a student of great potential. He sent five pictures to the 1902 exhibition of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and four of these were accepted and hung together. No greater compliment could have been paid to a young student.

Another Australian student whose studio was in the same building, Ambrose McCarthy Patterson (supported by Nellie Melba, then at the height of her fame, whose sister was married to Patterson's brother). Ramsay was introduced to Melba, who gave him a commission for a portrait and would no doubt have been able to help him in his career. Eventually Ramsay became seriously ill with tuberculosis and was advised to return to the warmer climate of Australia. He made a small preparatory paintings but was unable to complete the planned full length portrait of Melba. Before leaving Europe, he had exhibited four pictures at the British Colonial Art Exhibition held in London at the Royal Institute galleries.

Returning to Australia, in spite of failing health, Ramsay succeeded in doing some remarkable work including The Sisters (a portrait of his own sisters, 1904; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney), Lady with a Fan (possibly his most famous painting), the portrait of David Scott Mitchell, and his own portrait, now in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. He gradually became weaker and died at "Clydebank" Buckley Street, Essendon on 5 March 1906 a few weeks before completing his twenty-ninth year. He was buried in St Kilda Cemetery.

Family
Hugh Ramsay was brother to surgeon John Ramsay and William Ramsay, founder of Kiwi boot polish. His nephew, James, co-founded with his wife Diana the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation, responsible for one of the biggest bequests every made to an art gallery in Australia and funding the Ramsay Art Prize at the Art Gallery of South Australia.

References

External links

Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia
1877 births
1906 deaths
20th-century Australian painters
20th-century Australian male artists
Académie Colarossi alumni
People educated at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School
Australian male painters
Artists from Melbourne
National Gallery of Victoria Art School alumni
Visual artists in early 20th-century Australia

Hugh Ramsay


Gianni Poggi (October 4, 1921 – December 16, 1989) was an Italian tenor, particularly associated with the Italian repertory.

Biography

Born in Piacenza, Poggi studied first in Bologna with soprano Valeria Manna, and later in Milan with baritone Emilio Ghirardini. He made his debut in Palermo, as Rodolfo, in 1947. He first sang at La Scala in 1948 and appeared there until 1965, his roles included: Riccardo, Enzo, Fernando, Edgardo, Duca di Mantua, Alfredo, Cavaradossi, etc.

He also performed in all of Italy's main opera houses, notably in Florence in 1955, in a revival of Donizetti's Dom Sebastien. He portrayed the role of Lohengrin at Arena of Verona in 1949 and in his home town Piacenza in 1963 (both sung in Italian).

Poggi made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955, in Rigoletto, opposite Robert Merrill and Roberta Peters.  He returned for further performances in 1957:  Rigoletto again (now with Leonard Warren), Tosca (opposite Antonietta Stella and Walter Cassel, conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos), La bohème (with Licia Albanese and Ettore Bastianini, conducted by Thomas Schippers), Lucia di Lammermoor (with Lily Pons), La traviata (opposite Renata Tebaldi), and La Gioconda (with Zinka Milanov, Leonard Warren, Cesare Siepi and Regina Resnik).

He was a regular guest at the Vienna State Opera from 1959 to 1964, also appearing at the Berlin State Opera and Monte Carlo Opera. He retired from the stage in 1969, his last role being Faust of Boito's Mefistofele.

Poggi had a fine spinto tenor voice, occasionally inclined to hardness, enabling him to sing both lyric and dramatic roles.

Discography

Studio recordings
 Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (Wilson, Colzani; Capuana, 1951) Urania
 Boito: Mefistofele (Neri, Noli; Capuana, 1952) Urania
 Puccini: Tosca (Guerrini, Silveri; Molinari-Pradelli, 1952) Cetra
 Ponchielli: La Gioconda (Callas, Barbieri, Silveri, Neri; Votto, 1952) Cetra
 Verdi: La traviata (Tebaldi, Protti; Molinari-Pradelli, 1954) Decca
 Donizetti: La favorite (Simionato, Bastianini, Hines; Erede, 1955) Decca
 Puccini: La bohème (Stella, Capecchi, Modesti; Molinari-Pradelli, 1957) Philips
 Puccini: Tosca (Stella, Taddei; Serafin, 1957) Philips
 Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana (Mancini, Protti; Rapalo, 1958) Philips
 Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (Beltrami, Protti; Rapalo, 1958) Philips
 Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Stella, Bastianini, Lazzarini; Gavazzeni, 1960) Deutsche Grammophon
 Puccini: La bohème (Scotto, Gobbi, Modesti; Votto, 1961) Deutsche Grammophon

Selected live performances
 La Bohème (highlights), La Scala 1949 (Margherita Carosio, Paolo Silveri, Alda Noni; Victor De Sabata) ed. Cetra/Myto
 Tosca (highlights), Rio 1951 (Maria Callas, Paolo Silveri; Antonino Votto) ed. Voce/Archipel
 La bohème, Barcelona 1954 (Renata Tebaldi, Manuel Ausensi, Ornella Rovero, Giulio Neri; Ugo Rapalo) ed. Premiere Opera
 Dom Sebastien, Firenze 1955 (Fedora Barbieri, Giulio Neri, Enzo Mascherini; Carlo Maria Giulini) ed. Cetra/MRF/Walhall
La Gioconda, Met 1957 (Zinka Milanov, Leonard Warren, Nell Rankin, Cesare Siepi; Fausto Cleva) ed. Arkadia/Walhall
 Mefistofele, La Scala 1958 (Cesare Siepi, Anna De Cavalieri, Cesy Broggini, Fiorenza Cossotto; Antonino Votto) ed. Cetra/Melodram/Gala

Videography
 Puccini: Tosca (Tebaldi, Guelfi; Basile) 1961 [live-Tokio] VAI
 Verdi: Rigoletto (Protti, Tucci; Basile) 1961 [live-Tokio] VAI

Sources

 Grove Music Online, Elizabeth Forbes, Oxford University Press, 2008.

1921 births
1989 deaths
People from Piacenza
Italian operatic tenors
20th-century Italian male opera singers

Gianni Poggi


Aldo Bertocci (9 May 1915 – 1 April 2004) was an Italian operatic tenor who sang both comprimario and leading roles in a career spanning the late 1940s to the mid-1970s. He sang in the world premieres of nine 20th century operas, most of them in performances broadcast on the RAI, Italy's national public-service radio. His discography includes live recordings of several rarities such as Mascagni's Silvano and Leoncavallo's Zingari. Bertocci was born in Turin and from 1974 lived in Cassano Valcuvia where he died shortly before his 88th birthday.

Life and career
Bertocci was born in Turin and began appearing in operas shortly after the end of World War II. In 1946 he was the tenor soloist in the world premiere in Rome of Malipiero's cantata, Vergilii Aeneis. The following year he appeared as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi at the Teatro Carignano in his native city. From 1949 to 1966, he sang in the world premieres of nine 20th century operas, several of them in concert performances at the RAI Auditoriums in Turin, Milan and Rome.

In 1953, he appeared at La Scala as the Sentinel in the first staged performance Pizzetti's Cagliostro, a role he had sung in its world premiere as a concert performance the previous year. He continued to perform on the main stage at La Scala and in its associated chamber theatre, Teatro della Piccola Scala, throughout his career, appearing in variety of roles including Prince Shuysky in Boris Godunov, Mefistofele in Doktor Faust, Grande inquisitore in Il prigioniero, Jack O'Brien in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Filka Morozov in From the House of the Dead, Agrippa in The Fiery Angel, Gabriele Adorno in Simon Boccanegra, and Elézer in Mosè in Egitto (a role which he also performed in New York in a 1966 concert performance by the American Opera Society).

Bertocci sang in several other Italian opera houses, including the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste as Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos and La Fenice in Venice as Uldino in Attila, Valerio in the first staged performance of Malipiero's Don Tartufo Bacchettone, and Lukà in the world premiere of Flavio Testi's L'albergo dei poveri. Although the majority of his roles were in mid-20th century works and the lyric tenor repertoire of older, but at the time, infrequently performed operas, he also assayed (to sometimes mixed reviews) the mainstream spinto tenor roles of Don José in Carmen, Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, and the title role in Otello, the latter in a 1960 Canadian Opera Company production.

In 1974, Bertocci settled in the northern Italian town of Cassano Valcuvia and retired from the stage shortly thereafter. He lived there until his death in 2004, one week before his 88th birthday. In 2011, his adopted city organized a festival in his honour with concerts at the Teatro Comunale and an exhibit documenting his career.

Roles created
First Priest in Dallapiccola's  Il prigioniero (RAI Auditorium, Turin, 1949)
Romeo in Malipiero's Mondi celesti e infernali (RAI Auditorium, Rome, 1950)
Achille in Pizzetti's Ifigenia (RAI Auditorium, Turin, 1950)
Sentinel in Pizzetti's Cagliostro (RAI Auditorium, Milan, 1952)
Mario in Mario Peragallo's La gita in campagna (La Scala, Milan, 1954)
Abele in Felice Lattuada's Caino (La Scala, Milan, 1957)
Herald in Pizzetti's Assassinio nella cattedrale (La Scala, Milan, 1958)
Costruttore in Giacomo Manzoni's Atomtod (Teatro della Piccola Scala, Milan, 1965)
Lukà in Flavio Testi's L'albergo dei poveri (La Fenice, Venice, 1966)

Recordings
Many of Bertocci's performances in live radio broadcasts have been re-issued on LP and/or CD, including:
Verdi: I Lombardi alla prima crociata (as Arvino) – Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro della Rai di Milano conducted by Manno Wolf-Ferrari, 1951 (reissued on CD by Fonit Cetra)
Mascagni: Silvano (as Silvano) – Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro della Rai di Milano conducted by Pietro Argento, 1954 (released on LP in 1967 by E.J. Smith «The Golden Age of Opera»)
Donizetti: Anna Bolena (as Percy) – Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan conducted by Gianandrea Gavazzeni, 1958 (reissued on CD by several labels including Myto and Opera D'oro).
Leoncavallo: Zingari (as Radu) – Dutch Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Fulvio Vernizzi, 1963 (released on LP in 1965 by E.J. Smith «The Golden Age of Opera»)

References

Further reading
Tabacchi, Michela (2002). "Aldo Bertocci: Una vita per l'opera lirica". Terra e Gente, Vol. 10, pp. 109–112.

Italian operatic tenors
1915 births
2004 deaths
20th-century Italian  male opera singers
Musicians from Turin

Aldo Bertocci


Catherine Lemmon Manning (January 24, 1881 – April 14, 1957), of Washington, D.C. served the philatelic community by her work in several philatelic societies, and the American public by her service at the National Postal Museum.

Serving the Smithsonian
From 1922 to 1949, when she retired, Catherine Manning served as the Government Philatelist at the National Postal Museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. She was subsequently named to the post of Curator Emeritus, a position she held from 1949 to 1957.

Philatelic activity
Manning, during her early years, gained experience in philately by working for stamp dealers, such as Julius (John) Murray Bartels, in the Washington, D.C. area. At the American Philatelic Society, she was the first woman to hold an elective office in the organization, serving on the Board of Vice-Presidents from 1935 to 1937. At the American Philatelic Congress she served as a council member, and at the Bureau Issues Association, later renamed the United States Stamp Society, she was declared an honorary member. Manning was also a Trustee of  National Philatelic Museum, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Honors and awards
Manning was honored by an award for her work from the Philadelphia's National Philatelic Museum in 1949.  In 1990 she was named to the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame.

References

External links
 Catherine Lemmon Manning at stamps.org

1881 births
1957 deaths
American philatelists
People from Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Institution people
American Philatelic Society
Women philatelists

Catherine Lemmon Manning


The Alid revolt of 762–763 or Revolt of Muhammad the Pure Soul was an uprising by the Hasanid branch of the Alids against the newly established Abbasid Caliphate. The Hasanids, led by the brothers Muhammad (called "the Pure Soul") and Ibrahim, rejected the legitimacy of the Abbasid family's claim to power. Reacting to mounting persecution by the Abbasid regime, in 762 they launched a rebellion, with Muhammad rising in revolt at Medina in September and Ibrahim following in Basra in November.

The Hasanid's lack of co-ordination and organization, as well as the lukewarm support of their followers, allowed the Abbasids under Caliph al-Mansur to react swiftly. The Caliph contained Muhammad's rebellion in the Hejaz and crushed it only two weeks after Ibrahim's uprising, before turning his forces against the latter. Ibrahim's rebellion had achieved some initial successes in southern Iraq, but his camp was torn by dissent among rival Shi'a groups as to the prosecution of the war and future political objectives. In the end, Ibrahim's army was decisively defeated at Bakhamra in January 763, with Ibrahim dying of his wounds shortly after.

The failure of the rebellion did not mark the end of Alid unrest, but it consolidated the power of the Abbasid dynasty.

Background
Following the death of Muhammad in 632, a strong body of opinion within the nascent Muslim community—the antecedents of the Shi'a—held the Family of Muhammad (Al Muhammad) to be the only rightful leaders, who would have the divine guidance necessary to rule according to the Quran and bring justice. These sentiments were fed by the increasing discontent against the Umayyad dynasty, which ruled the Caliphate from 661 until 750. Initially, they were expressed by a succession of failed risings—most notably the Battle of Karbala in 680 and the uprising of Zayd ibn Ali in 740—in support of various Alid claimants, i.e. the descendants of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad and fourth Caliph (r. 656–661), whose death had marked the rise of the Umayyad family to power. Iraq and Kufa in particular became centres of pro-Alid support. It was the Abbasids, however, and their supporters, the Hashimiyya, who launched the revolution that overthrew the Umayyad regime. The Abbasids claimed authority based on their membership in the extended Al Muhammad through Muhammad's uncle Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib; unlike later Shi'a doctrine, membership of the Family was not strictly limited to the Alids at that time, but encompassed the entire Banu Hashim. The Abbasids were able to exploit the weakening of the Alid cause after Zayd's failure in 740, as well as the widespread anti-Umayyad sentiment and lack of pro-Alid agitation among the numerous Arab settlers of Khurasan, to gain their backing and secure the leadership of the anti-Umayyad movement for themselves. Nevertheless, in the first stages of their uprising, they were careful not to antagonize the Alids' supporters, and merely called for a "chosen one from the Family of Muhammad" (al-rida min Al Muhammad) to become the new Muslim leader.

Following their takeover of the Caliphate, the Abbasids tried to ensure the Alids' acquiescence through honours and pensions. However, some Alids remained opposed to Abbasid rule, going into hiding and once again trying to rouse the discontented against the new regime. Chief among them were Muhammad ibn Abdallah and his brother Ibrahim. Both had been groomed by their father as leaders since their youth, and some sources even claim that he had received the bay'ah (oath of allegiance) of the Hashimiyya leaders, including the future Caliph al-Mansur (r. 754–775), in 744, before the Abbasid Revolution. Muhammad was often called "the Pure Soul" (al-Nafs al-Zakiyya) for his noble character, but he was also "a somewhat unworldly, even romantic, individual" (Hugh N. Kennedy) and apparently less capable or learned than his younger brother Ibrahim. When the Abbasids took power, the two brothers refused to accept what they regarded as the usurpation of their legitimate rights and went into hiding. From there they continued their work of proselytism, which reportedly brought them as far as the Sindh, although mostly they stayed in Arabia. The first Abbasid caliph, al-Saffah (r. 750–754), was content to mostly ignore their activities, but his successor al-Mansur launched a manhunt against them. In 758, al-Mansur arrested their brother Abdallah when he refused to reveal their whereabouts, followed in early 762 by their cousins and nephews. The captive Alids were taken to Kufa, where they were so mistreated that many of them died.

Muhammad's revolt in Medina
As al-Mansur's persecution intensified, pressure began to mount on the brothers to react. Kufa, the traditional Alid base, was kept under close surveillance by the Abbasid government, and the two brothers resolved to launch a simultaneous rebellion in Basra and Medina. Although the Alids could count on a large network of sympathizers throughout the Caliphate, the action was rushed and lacked organization.

On 25 September 762, Muhammad declared himself at Medina, catching the Abbasid governor, Riyah ibn Uthman, by surprise. The rebellion was bloodless and Muhammad quickly gained the support of the old Muslim families of Medina and Mecca (the Ansar), but the movement had been doomed from the start: despite Medina's great symbolic value, it had little strategic importance, and the error of using it as the centre of a rebellion became apparent when the Abbasids immediately cut off the grain supply from Egypt that fed the city. Al-Mansur himself was relieved at the news of the uprising in such a remote location, remarking that at last he had "enticed the fox out of his hole". Al-Mansur left Baghdad, whose construction he was supervising, for Kufa. From there he called upon Muhammad to surrender, promising an amnesty. The only fruit of this offer was an exchange of letters, which are preserved (though doubtlessly much embellished) by al-Tabari. In them, Muhammad reiterated his claim to leading the Muslims, and stressed his descent from Ali and Fatimah, Muhammad's daughter, as well as his typically Shi'a ideals of rejecting the absolutist monarchical traditions of the Umayyads—now adopted by the Abbasids—in favour of returning to the simpler practices of early Islam. Al-Mansur countered by invoking the pre-Islamic tradition of inheritance, which gave priority to a man's male relatives over his daughters—implying that the Caliphate had passed to the Abbasid line by right.

Isa ibn Musa, the Caliph's nephew, was sent against Medina with 4,000 men, but Muhammad refused to abandon the holy city and insisted on meeting the Abbasid attack there. In the meantime, he imitated the actions of Muhammad, like restoring the famous ditch around the city. Muhammad's supporters nevertheless began deserting him. When Isa appeared before the city, he waited a few days before the ditch and repeatedly offered amnesty. Then his troops laid a few doors over the ditch and entered Medina, where Muhammad and his remaining 300 supporters fell fighting on 6 December 762. Muhammad's corpse was beheaded and his head dispatched to the Caliph.

Ibrahim's uprising in Basra
Due to Muhammad's rushed actions, Ibrahim failed to co-ordinate his uprising with his brother's, and only declared himself two weeks before Muhammad's death, on 23 November. Ibrahim's revolt at first met with quick success, securing control over Ahwaz, Fars and Wasit, and his army register (diwan) was said to number 100,000 names. When the news of Muhammad's death arrived, the rebels acclaimed Ibrahim as his successor. Ibrahim now was faced with a choice: a group of dedicated Alid supporters, which had managed to escape from Kufa, urged him to march on the city, while the Basrans preferred to stay in place and reach a negotiated settlement. This dissension is indicative of the disparate nature of Ibrahim's supporters. The Alid cause was fractured into several competing groups with different political objectives, and Ibrahim represented the Hasanid branch only. The Husaynids refused to take part in an uprising, while Ibrahim quarrelled with the Zaydi branch on everything from political objectives and leadership to the tactics to be followed or the provisioning of their troops. Elsewhere, support for the uprising was cautious and most Alid supporters adopted a wait-and-see attitude, limiting themselves to verbal support or contributions of money.

Al-Mansur in the meantime used his time more effectively: he mobilized troops in Syria and Iran and brought them to Iraq, and recalled Isa ibn Musa from Medina to lead them. Finally, Ibrahim decided to march on Kufa, but on the way he abandoned this plan and turned back. Instead of returning to Basra, however, he encamped at Bakhamra, a location on the road between the two cities. There, on 21 January, Ibrahim with his troops, reduced by defections to some 15,000 men, confronted the Abbasid army under Isa ibn Musa. Isa's vanguard was at first beaten, but the battle ended in a crushing Abbasid victory. Ibrahim himself was severely wounded and escaped with a handful of supporters. He died of his wounds on 14 February 763, signalling the end of the rebellion.

Aftermath
The failure and brutal suppression of Muhammad and Ibrahim's revolt was followed by a large-scale reprisal campaign against the Alids, many of whom were imprisoned or killed, until the death of al-Mansur brought about another period of attempts at conciliation under al-Mahdi (r. 775–785), which ended after another Alid uprising in 786. The relationship of the Abbasids with the Alids remained troubled: periods of repression, usually following pro-Alid revolts, were alternated with periods of relative tolerance. Although al-Ma'mun (r. 813–833) at one point nominated an Alid, Ali ibn Musa al-Rida, as his heir during the Fourth Fitna, this move was not followed up, and under Ma'mun's successors, the two families became completely estranged. Of Muhammad's sons and brothers, many fled the Abbasid persecution to the remoter corners of the Caliphate, where they sometimes succeeded in establishing local dynasties, e.g. the Idrisids of Morocco, founded by Muhammad's brother Idris, or the Alavids in Tabaristan.

References

Sources

760s conflicts
762
8th century in the Abbasid Caliphate
763
8th-century rebellions
Battles involving the Alids
Medina under the Abbasid Caliphate
Iraq under the Abbasid Caliphate
Rebellions against the Abbasid Caliphate

Alid revolt of 762–763


USS Fort Marion (LSD-22) was a  of the United States Navy. She was named for the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida, which was named Fort Marion from 1821 till 1942.

USS Fort Marion (LSD-22)

Fort Marion was launched on 22 May 1945 by Gulf Shipbuilding Corp., Chickasaw, Alabama, sponsored by Mrs. Louise S. Dodson; and commissioned on 29 January 1946.

Fort Marion arrived at San Diego her home port, 26 May 1946, and through the next three years repaired landing craft, carried cargo and landing craft between San Diego and San Francisco, and took part in amphibious training exercises on the California coast. Between 4 April and 21 July 1949, she made her first tour of duty in the Far East, calling in Alaska outward bound.

Korean War

Upon the outbreak of the Korean War, Fort Marion sailed for action 12 July 1950, and arrived at Pusan with Marines and their equipment 2 August. For the next month, she ferried troops from Kobe to Yokosuka for further routing onward to Korea. On 12 September, at Pusan, Fort Marion embarked men of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines and three LSUs, carrying ten tanks, for the invasion of Inchon.
Fort Marion was the flagship of Captain Norman W. Sears' Advance Attack Group, which comprised Fort Marion and the fast transports Horace A. Bass, Diachenko, and Wantuck.

Shortly after midnight on the 15th, destroyers and cruisers of the Gunfire Support Group entered Flying Fish Channel and headed north, accompanied by the Advance Attack Group.
Fort Marions Marines and tanks landed on Green Beach on Wolmi-do starting at 06:33. The seizure of this strategically placed island made possible the landings at 17:30 that afternoon by the rest of the 5th Marines and the 1st Marines.
Fort Marion lay off Inchon for the next month, receiving casualties and caring for small craft.

From 25 October 1950 until 23 November Fort Marion lay at Wonsan for similar duty, as well as aiding in the withdrawal early in December. From 29 December through March 1951, she carried troops from Japan to Korea.

In April, a special task organization, Task Force 74, was set up under Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter, with the mission of interdicting North Korea's east coast rail line by a commando raid.
Fort Marion, with 250 men of the British Royal Marines' 41 Commando battalion, and Begor (APD-127) with a UDT detachment, set sail for Sorye Dong, eight miles south of Sŏngjin, with a supporting force composed of Saint Paul (CA-73), two destroyers, and six minesweepers.
The landing itself was the responsibility of Captain Philip W. Mothersill, commanding officer of Fort Marion and Commander Amphibious Group; Adm. Hillenkoetter controlled only the supporting ships.
Despite fog and an unsuitable landing zone, the commandos blew up about 100 yards of railroad, and were then successfully reembarked, although they found that airstrikes by Task Force 77 had already made the railway inoperable.
Fort Marion sailed from Yokosuka for home 26 April 1951.

During her second Korean War deployment, from 16 April 1952 to 14 January 1953, Fort Marion operated with a mine squadron in Wonsan Harbor, acting as mother ship for the small ships as they carried out their dangerous operations. She also operated with an amphibious construction battalion, and joined in a mock invasion on the coast north of Wonsan.

1953 – 1960

Extensively overhauled in 1953, Fort Marion was equipped with a mezzanine deck and fitted to carry helicopters. She arrived at Sasebo 7 December to resume duty as a minesweeper tender, and during this tour of duty joined in amphibious exercises off Okinawa and Japan. Back in San Diego 19 August 1954, she sailed later that year to the Hawaiian Islands for exercises, and in May 1955 took part in Operation Wigwam, the experimental detonation of an underwater atomic explosion.

In 1956–57, 1958, and 1959, Fort Marion made additional deployments to the western Pacific, taking part in mine and amphibious warfare operations, and in the summer of 1958, joining in emergency operations to meet the threat posed by renewed Communist shelling of the Nationalist-held offshore islands. In September, serving with the Taiwan Patrol Force, she brought supplies to Quemoy under Communist fire. Fort Marion spent much of 1960 in an extensive modernization overhaul which added many useful years to her expected span of service, and on 22 November sailed for Far Eastern duty once more.

Fort Marion served in several Vietnam War campaigns between 1965 and 1969.

Fort Marion  was decommissioned on 13 February 1970, and stricken from the Naval Register on 31 October 1974.
The ship was sold to the Republic of China on 15 April 1977.

Awards
Fort Marion received five battle stars for Korean War service and five campaign stars for Vietnam War service.

ROCS Chen Hai (LSD-192)

Ex-Fort Marion served in the Republic of China Navy as ROCS Chen Hai (LSD-192). She was decommissioned in May 1999, and sunk to form an artificial reef on 9 December 2000.

References

External links

USS Fort Marion veterans' website

Casa Grande-class dock landing ships of the United States Navy
Ships built in Chickasaw, Alabama
1945 ships
Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
Korean War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
Vietnam War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
Casa Grande-class dock landing ships of the Republic of China Navy
Ships sunk as artificial reefs
Maritime incidents in 2000
Shipwrecks of Taiwan

USS Fort Marion