Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (born 26 May 1949) is a British politician. He was the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2015 to 2020. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North since 1983. He was elected Leader of the Labour Party in 2015. Corbyn calls himself a democratic socialist.

Corbyn was born in Chippenham in Wiltshire. Before becoming a politician, he worked as a representative for many trade unions. He was elected to Haringey Council in 1974. He was later secretary of the Islington Constituency Labour Party (CLP). He entered the House of Commons as an MP.

Corbyn won many awards for his work as an international human rights activist. As an MP, he is known for his activism and for voting against the Labour whip when the party was in government under New Labour leaders Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Corbyn works in support of the anti-austerity movement and stopping austerity cuts to public sector and welfare funding made since 2010.

During his career, he has worked to stop big businesses and very rich people avoiding tax. He has been an anti-war and anti-nuclear activist. Corbyn supports a foreign policy of military non-interventionism and a unilateral policy of nuclear disarmament. This means he wants all countries to stop building nuclear weapons. Corbyn is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Amnesty International and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). He was the national chair of the Stop the War Coalition from June 2011 until September 2015.

After Labour's defeat in the 2015 general election and the resignation of Ed Miliband, Corbyn announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Labour Party on 6 June 2015. Although many people did not believe he would win, he won enough votes to become the lead candidate. He won many votes from trade unions who supported the Labour Party, as well as left wing activists. He was elected Leader of the Labour Party on 12 September 2015 after winning 59.5% of the votes in the first round of the ballot.

In June 2016, after the events of the "leave" vote in the EU referendum, Labour MPs passed a vote of no confidence in Corbyn. It passed by 172 votes to 40 following the resignation of around two-thirds of Corbyn's Shadow cabinet. He then faced a second leadership contest, against Angela Eagle and Owen Smith. However, in July 2016, Eagle dropped out of the race leaving Smith and Corbyn as the only candidates. On 24 September 2016, Corbyn won the leadership contest against Smith  with an increased majority of 61.8%.

After the 2017 general election was announced, Corbyn said he was ready to offer a "real alternative" to the Conservative government. In the election, the Labour Party gained 32 seats, but the Conservatives remained the largest Party.

In 2019, Corbyn created a plan to prevent a no-deal Brexit, which involved creating a temporary caretaker government and then campaigning for a "public vote on the terms of leaving the European Union, including an option to Remain". He has publicly criticized antisemitism within the Labour Party, however many believe than Corbyn is responsible for some antisemitic attacks within the party. In the 2019 general election, Labour suffered its worst defeat since 1935, lowering its seats held to just over 200. Corbyn said that he would not lead Labour into the next election, causing a leadership contest, where Sir Keir Starmer won the contest and replaced Corbyn on 4 April 2020.

Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party on 29 October 2020 after he said that he would not accept what the Equality and Human Rights Commission found about antisemitism. He was given party membership again a month later, however his party whip remains suspended until February 2021.

Early life
Corbyn was born at Chippenham Cottage Hospital in Chippenham, Wiltshire. He was raised in Kington St Michael in Wiltshire. The youngest of four sons, he is the brother of Piers Corbyn. His mother, Naomi Josling, was a math teacher. His father, David Benjamin Corbyn was an electrical engineer. His parents were peace activists. When Corbyn was seven, the family moved to Pave Lane in Shropshire, where his father bought Yew Tree Manor (renamed Yew Tree Guesthouse), turning it into a family home.

Corbyn studied at the Castle House Preparatory School near Newport, Shropshire. He then went to Adams' Grammar School. In school, Corbyn said that he received bad grades and his teacher told him that he was never going to make anything of himself. Corbyn worked as a reporter for a short time for local newspaper, the Newport and Market Drayton Advertiser. He went to the University of North London for a year before dropping out without an educational degree.

Early career
At around the age of 19, Corbyn spent two years volunteering in Jamaica as a geography teacher.

Corbyn worked as an union official of the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers. He became a member of a district health authority in the early years of the 1970s. In 1974, he was elected to Haringey Council, representing Harringay as councillor until 1983. Corbyn worked on Tony Benn's deputy leadership campaign in 1981.

Parliamentary career, 1983–present
Corbyn was chosen as the Labour Party candidate for his local seat in Islington North in 1982. Around this time, he became involved with London Labour Briefing, where he was a contributor and member of the editorial board during the 1980s. It has been reported that he served as its general secretary for some time.

In 1983, he was elected Member of Parliament for Islington North. After winning, he joined the Socialist Campaign Group. He sat on the Parliamentary London Regional Select Committee from 1983 to 1987. He sat on the Social Security Select Committee from 1992 to 1997, the London Regional Select Committee for a second time from 2009 to 2010, and the Justice Select Committee from 2010 to 2015.

Corbyn has won re-elections as Member of Parliament for Islington North seven times. In the 2015 election, when he won 60.24% of the votes cast and a majority of 21,194. During his career, he voted against the whip 428 times while Labour was in power.

In 1990, Corbyn almost went to jail for not paying his taxes as protest to a new tax system in Scotland.

In October 2001, Corbyn was elected to the steering committee of the Stop the War Coalition, which was formed to oppose the Afghanistan War which started later that year. He helped organise the February anti-Iraq War protest which was claimed to be the largest such protest in British political history. In 2006, Corbyn was one of 12 Labour MPs to support Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party's call for a parliamentary inquiry into the Iraq War. He was elected chair of the coalition in succession to Andrew Murray in September 2011, but resigned in September 2015.

Corbyn has always opposed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and is a long-time supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). He was criticised for inviting Gerry Adams and other members of Sinn Féin to the Palace of Westminster in 1984, weeks after the Brighton hotel bombing by the PIRA.

Corbyn was chair of the All-party parliamentary group (APPG) on the Chagos Islands, chair of the APPG on Mexico, Vice-Chair of the APPG on Latin America and vice-chair of the APPG on human rights. He has supported the rights for the Chagossians. He is known for his Venezuelan solidarity activism.

Leadership of the Labour Party, 2015–2020

Leadership election

Following the Labour Party's defeat at the general election on 7 May 2015, Ed Miliband resigned as its party leader. His resignation caused the party to have a leadership election.

On 2 June, it was reported in media sources that Corbyn was thinking of applying to be a candidate. The next day, Corbyn announced to his local newspaper, The Islington Tribune, that he would become a candidate in the election. Before he could become a candidate he had to secure at least 35 nominations from MPs. In the end he got 36. Some of the MPs who nominated him didn't think he would win and only nominated him to have a 'broader debate'.

Some, including former foreign secretary Margaret Becket, told journalists they regretted the decision. When he was accepted as a candidate Corbyn said: "This decision is in response to an overwhelming call by Labour Party members who want to see a broader range of candidates and a thorough debate about the future of the party. I am standing to give Labour Party members a voice in this debate". He would run against candidates Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham and Liz Kendall.

Corbyn was elected party leader in a landslide victory on 12 September 2015 with 59.5% of first-preference votes in the first round of voting. It has been said that Corbyn would have won in the first round with 51% of votes. Corbyn's 40.5% majority was larger than that won by Tony Blair in 1994.

Leader of the Opposition

After being elected leader on 12 September 2015, Corbyn became Leader of the Official Opposition. On 14 September 2015, his seat in the Privy Council was announced. During his time as leader, Corbyn wanted to stop the "theatrical" nature of the House of Commons. His first months as leader was called as "a good start" and a "long overdue" change by The Guardian. He made his first annual address as leader on 29 September 2015. As Leader of the Opposition, he was made a member of the Privy Council on 11 November 2015. The phrase, "Corbynmania", is used for the large amount of support given by his supporters.

On 16 June 2016, MP Jo Cox was assassinated after being stabbed multiple times by far-right supporter Thomas Mair. In the aftermath of the assassination, Corbyn described Cox as someone who was "dedicated to getting us to live up to our promises to support the developing world and strengthen human rights".

In June 2017, Corbyn made an appearance at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival, where he addressed the crowd. The crowd chanted "Oh, Jeremy Corbyn" and sang to the tune of "Seven Nation Army", a song by The White Stripes. Corbyn talked about the importance of young people going out and vote.

Military intervention in Syria

After members of ISIS carried out terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, Corbyn said that the only way to deal with the threat by ISIS would be to reach a political settlement and ending the Syrian Civil War. Corbyn voted against military power and airstrikes on ISIS.

EU referendum results and cabinet resignations

In June 2016, Corbyn said he supported the United Kingdom staying in the European Union. After the United Kingdom voted on leaving the European Union, many Labour leaders wanted Corbyn to resign.

After the referendum, many members of Corbyn's Shadow cabinet resigned because they did not like Corbyn's leadership. Hilary Benn called Corbyn to tell him that he had "lost confidence" in his leadership. Corbyn later asked for his resignation from the Shadow Cabinet on 26 June. Heidi Alexander resigned from the Shadow Cabinet hours later, followed by Gloria de Piero, Ian Murray, Lilian Greenwood, Lucy Powell, Kerry McCarthy, Seema Malhotra, Vernon Coaker, Charlie Falconer, and Chris Bryant. Other Shadow Cabinet Ministers, including John McDonnell, Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott, Jon Trickett, Angela Smith, Emily Thornberry and Lord Bassam of Brighton have either supported Corbyn's leadership directly or have said that it was not a good time for a "rebellion". By mid-afternoon 27 June 2016, 23 of the 31 shadow cabinet members had resigned their roles as did seven parliamentary private secretaries.

Leadership crisis

On 28 June 2016, he lost the vote of confidence by Labour Party MPs by 172–40. He said with a statement that the motion had no "constitutional legitimacy" and that he intended to continue as the elected leader.

A YouGov poll of Labour party members found that about 50% expected to support Corbyn if a leadership ballot was called. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who did not take a side in the dispute, said "When Labour splits, when we're divided, we lose elections". The division between Corbyn and the Labour parliamentary party continued.

On 11 July 2016, Angela Eagle announced her candidacy to run against Corbyn in the upcoming 2016 Labour Party leadership election. On 13 July former shadow minister Owen Smith also announced his leadership challenge. On the 19 July, Eagle quit the race after Smith got 90 nominations to her 70. Eagle said she resigned 'in the best interests of the party.' This was because having two anti Corbyn candidates in the race could split the vote and give him a better chance of winning.

On 24 September 2016, following the leadership contest, Corbyn was re-elected as the leader of the party again with an increased majority of 61.8%.

Response to the Chilcot report

The Chilcot report of the Iraq Inquiry was issued on 6 July 2016. It criticised the former Labour PM Tony Blair for joining the United States in the war against Iraq. Corbyn was against the war in Iraq. In response, Corbyn apologised to the people of Iraq, families of British soldiers who died and to the British people.

Donald Trump

After the election of Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential elections, Corbyn said that he believes that Trump is not solving problems, but dividing the United States. Corbyn also said he supports the idea for Trump to be banned from visiting the United Kingdom over his executive order on banning visitors from certain majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States.

In June 2019, Corbyn refused an invitation to attend a state banquet for Donald Trump, hosted by Queen Elizabeth II during the president's June visit to the United Kingdom. Corbyn then attended a London protest outside Trump and May's joint press conference and requested a meeting with Trump to talk about issues such as the "climate emergency, threats to peace and the refugee crisis". Trump rejected the request, saying that Corbyn was a "negative force".

Article 50
In January 2017, Corbyn announced that he would support a three-line plan to force Labour MPs in support of triggering Article 50, which would start the removal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. In response, many Labour members said they would vote against the bill. Tulip Siddiq, the shadow minister for early years, and Jo Stevens, the Shadow Welsh Secretary resigned in protest. On 1 February, forty seven Labour MPs went against Corbyn's plan on the second reading of the bill.

May 2017 local elections

At the 2017 local elections in May, Labour under Corbyn lost almost 400 councillors and control of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire county council. The BBC's Projected National Vote Share was 38% for the Conservatives, 27% for Labour, 18% for the Liberal Democrats and 5% for UKIP, with others on around 12%.

2017 general election

Corbyn said he supported Prime Minister Theresa May's idea for an early general election while awaiting parliamentary approval. He said he would urge his party to support the government's move in the parliamentary vote announced for on 19 April. A  majority of MPs is necessary for a general election to be called before 2020.

Many people supported Corbyn to become Prime Minister such as United States senator Bernie Sanders, who Corbyn supported when Sanders ran for President of the United States.

In the snap general election, Labour under Corbyn gained 32 seats and increased its share of the popular vote to 40%, though the Conservative Party remained in government.

After the 2017 general election

After the 2017 election, a poll put Labour on 45% with the Conservatives on 39%, the first poll to show Labour ahead with Corbyn as leader. 4% more voters approve of Corbyn than disapprove. Corbyn announced that the party was being placed on "permanent campaign mode", hoping for another general election to be called as soon as fall 2017. He began a number of rallies in important seats, including Hastings and Rye, Southampton Itchen and Bournemouth West.

After Theresa May's Brexit proposal failed in the House of Commons on 15 January 2019, Corbyn filled a motion of no confidence towards the May ministry. The motion failed in a 325 to 306 vote.

In March 2019, Corbyn was assaulted by a Brexit supporter outside a mosque in Finsbury Park, north London. His attacker was sentenced to 28 days in jail. In March 2019, Corbyn said that he could vote leave in a second referendum, depending on the Brexit deal on offer.

At the end of Theresa May's time as Prime Minister, she had a small lead over Corbyn in the best Prime Minister polling question. However, following the appointment of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister in July 2019, he gained double-digit leads over Corbyn on this question, although he was seen to be "more in touch" with ordinary people than Johnson.

June 2017 Shadow Cabinet
A year after most of his Shadow Cabinet resigned, Corbyn removed three Shadow Cabinet members and a fourth resigned. This was after they went against the Labour Party's orders to not vote on the motion aimed at keeping the United Kingdom in the European Union single market.

Antisemitism accusations

In March 2018, it was revealed that Labour Party members, including Corbyn, some of his office staff and MPs belonged to a secret Facebook group where antisemitic comments were freely made. He left the group after becoming Labour leader in 2015.

According to the Huffington Post he was enrolled by someone else in 2014 and had only made a small number of posts.

Later in March 2018, a spokesman for the Labour leader admitted Corbyn had posted a comment on Facebook in 2012 questioning the removal of an  allegedly antisemitic mural in London. This became controversial with Corbyn releasing a statement that said: "I sincerely regret that I did not look more closely at the image I was commenting on, the contents of which are deeply disturbing and antisemitic," he said. "The defence of free speech cannot be used as a justification for the promotion of antisemitism in any form. That is a view I've always held.".

In February 2019, seven MPs resigned from the Labour Party to form an Independent group because of Corbyn's handling of Brexit and of allegations of antisemitism.

2019 general election and resignation

On 29 October 2019, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the next general election would be held on 12 December 2019. The reason was so that Conservatives could win a majority in parliament to pass a Brexit bill. Labour were left with just over 200 seats, their worst result since 1935. However, the party's share of the vote was higher than in 2015 and 2010. Conservatives won seats in England and Wales that were traditionally Labour seats, in a move the British media called: "a realignment of UK politics".

After the Labour Party's had massive losses in the election, Corbyn stated that he plans to step down following a period of reflection causing a leadership contest. Corbyn said that he had "pride in the manifesto" that Labour put forward for the election and blamed the defeat on Brexit.

On 3 April 2020, in a final message to Labour Party members while leader of the party, Corbyn said, "I can assure you my voice will not be stilled. I'll be out there campaigning for socialism, peace and justice, and I feel sure we'll be doing that together." He also claimed that Labour in the last five years under his leadership had "changed the agenda on austerity and how the economy is run".

On 4 April 2020, Sir Keir Starmer replaced Corbyn as Opposition Leader and Labour Party Leader.

After a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Labour Party suspended Corbyn in October 2020. They did this because he said that he would not accept what the report had found. On 17 November 2020, Corbyn was given a formal warning and was given party membership again. Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has not yet give Corbyn party-related responsibilites again. On 26 November, Corbyn's lawyers pushed for legal action against the Labour Party for suspending Corbyn's party whip. Corbyn's claim is that he and Starmer had agreed to a deal to readmit him to the party. His party duties will be suspended at least until February 2021 until an investigation into Corbyn's anti-Semitism accusations can finish.

Post-leadership activities
On 13 December 2020, Corbyn announced that he would be creating the Project for Peace and Justice the following month. It would focus on environmentalism, international peace, poverty, social inequality and corporation power. Corbyn launched the Project on 17 January 2021.

On 18 February 2022, in the week before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Corbyn, along with 11 other MPs, cosigned a statement from the Stop the War Coalition that would not support a war in Ukraine. After the invasion began, many MPs and Labour officials wanted Corbyn and others who signed the statement to remove their names from it. Corbyn and fellow former Labour independent MP Claudia Webbe did not withdraw their signatures from the statement.

Personal life
In 1974, Corbyn married Jane Chapman. They divorced in 1979. In 1987, Corbyn married Chilean-born Claudia Bracchitta. They had three sons. They divorced in 1999. Corbyn said in June 2015 that he continues to "get on very well" with his former wife. In 2013, Corbyn married Laura Álvarez. He lives in Finsbury Park in London.

In an interview by The Huffington Post in December 2015, Corbyn did not want to say what his religion was, saying that it is a "private thing", while saying that he was not an atheist.

Cultural impact
In January 2016 it was announced that a satirical musical based on Corbyn's life would be staged at the Waterloo East Theatre in London later in the year. BBC News suggested that Corbyn the Musical: The Motorcycle Diaries "may be the first stage show written about a leader of the opposition".

Political views

Corbyn has been against Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and supported a higher rate of income tax for the richest in society. He wants to stop tax evasion by adding £1 billion in HM Revenue and Customs.

Corbyn has said that the National Health Service (NHS) should be "completely publicly run and publicly accountable". He is a supporter of the NHS Reinstatement Bill 2015. Corbyn does not support the Private Finance Initiative.

Corbyn did not support sending British troops to retake the Falkland Islands. He called it a "nauseating waste of lives and money".

Corbyn has supported same-sex marriage and LGBT rights. Corbyn voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, that allowed same-sex marriage in England and Wales. He has been a longtime environmentalist and does not support hydraulic fracturing. Corbyn is a supporter of animal rights. He also supports re-nationalisation of the UK's train system, meaning they will be owned and run by the government and not by businesses.

More reading

References

Other websites

 Islington North Labour Party
 Jeremy Corbyn MP, Grassroot Diplomat
 BBC: The Jeremy Corbyn Story: Profile of Labour's New Leader
 Guardian articles authored

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Jeremy Corbyn


The Battle of Arcadiopolis was fought in 970 between a Byzantine army under Bardas Skleros and a Rus' army, the latter also including allied Bulgarian, Pecheneg, and Hungarian (Magyar) contingents. In the preceding years, the Rus' ruler Sviatoslav had conquered northern Bulgaria, and was now menacing Byzantium as well. The Rus' force had been advancing through Thrace towards Constantinople when it was met by Skleros' force. Having fewer men than the Rus', Skleros prepared an ambush and attacked the Rus' army with a portion of his force. The Byzantines then feigned retreat, and succeeded in drawing off the Pecheneg contingent into the ambush, routing it. The remainder of the Rus' army then suffered heavy casualties from the pursuing Byzantines. The battle was important as it bought time for the Byzantine emperor John I Tzimiskes to settle his internal problems and assemble a large expedition, which eventually defeated Sviatoslav the next year.

Background
In 965 or 966, a Bulgarian embassy visited the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (r. 963–969) at Constantinople to receive the annual tribute that had been agreed by the two powers as the price of peace in 927. Phokas, flush and self-confident from a series of victories against the Arabs in the East that had led to the recovery of Crete, Cyprus, and Cilicia, refused to comply, and even had the envoys beaten up. He followed this up with a show of military strength, by sending a small force to raze a number of Bulgarian border posts in Thrace.

It was a clear declaration of war, but Nikephoros' forces were largely preoccupied in the East. Thus the emperor turned to the traditional Byzantine expedient of turning one of the peoples living further north, in modern-day Ukraine, against Bulgaria. He sent an ambassador, the patrikios Kalokyros, to Sviatoslav, ruler of the Rus' with whom the Byzantines had maintained close relations. Sviatoslav enthusiastically responded, and invaded Bulgaria in 967 or 968 in a devastating raid, before returning home to defend his capital against a Pecheneg attack. This forced the Bulgarian tsar, Peter I, to the negotiating table, agreeing to terms favourable to Byzantium. However, this brief sojourn also awakened in Sviatoslav the desire to conquer Bulgaria and establish his own realm there. He returned in force in July or August 969 and conquered the country within a few months.

Nikephoros' scheme had backfired dramatically: instead of peace, a new and formidable foe had appeared in the Balkans, and a large part of the Bulgarian nobility appeared to side with the Rus' prince. The emperor, however, was murdered in December 969, and it fell to his successor, John I Tzimiskes (r. 969–976), to deal with the Rus' threat. Sviatoslav now turned his sights on Byzantium, and to John's entreaties for peace he allegedly answered that the Empire should abandon its European territories to him and withdraw to Asia Minor. Tzimiskes himself was preoccupied with consolidating his position and with countering the unrest of the powerful Phokas clan and its adherents, and delegated the war in the Balkans to his brother-in-law, the Domestic of the Schools Bardas Skleros, and to the eunuch stratopedarches Peter. They were to winter in Thrace and raise an army, whilst sending spies to discover Sviatoslav's intentions.

At the news of this, a powerful Rus' force, along with many Bulgarians and a Pecheneg contingent, was sent south over the Balkan Mountains. After sacking the city of Philippopolis (modern Plovdiv) in Thrace, they bypassed the heavily defended city of Adrianople and turned towards Constantinople. The size of the Rus' army, and whether it comprised the entirety of Sviatoslav's forces or just a division, is unclear. John Skylitzes, for instance, implies that this was the entire Rus' army, numbering an incredible 308,000 men, but the contemporary Leo the Deacon reports that it was a detachment of "over 30,000 men"; conversely, the Russian Primary Chronicle gives the entire Rus' army under Sviatoslav at some 30,000, whilst numbering the Rus' at Arcadiopolis at only 10,000, faced with 100,000 Byzantines. It is clear, however, that the Byzantines were considerably outnumbered, and that the Rus' force at Arcadiopolis included significant numbers of Bulgarians, as well as allied contingents of Pechenegs and "Turks" (i.e. Magyars).

The battle

Skleros then quickly assembled a force of ten to twelve thousand men and set out to meet the Rus'. The two armies met near Arcadiopolis (modern Lüleburgaz in Turkish Thrace), some 80 km west of Constantinople. The two primary accounts on the Byzantine side differ on the preliminaries of the battle: Leo the Deacon reports that Skleros sent a scouting detachment ahead under the patrikios John Alakaseus, and then gave battle after only a day, but the later chronicle of Skylitzes reports that for a few days, Skleros with his men remained within the walls of Arcadiopolis as the Rus' encamped nearby, and refused to come out and meet them in battle despite their repeated challenges for him to do so. According to Skylitzes, the Rus' quickly became convinced that the imperial army was too afraid to face them; consequently they roamed about the countryside plundering, neglected their camp defences, and spent their nights in heedless revelry.

Skleros eventually set out from the city, and divided his forces into three groups: two divisions were placed in ambush on the wooded sides of the road leading towards the Rus' camp, while another, probably some 2,000–3,000 men, was placed under himself (or Alakaseus in Skylitzes' account) and went forth to attack the Rus' host. The Byzantine detachment quickly came into contact with the Rus' army, and charged the Pecheneg contingent. The Byzantines executed a gradual orderly retreat, turning at intervals to charge back at the pursuing Pechenegs, who had thus become separated from the main body of the Rus' army. This conflict was fierce and bloody, taxing the discipline and endurance of the small Byzantine force. According to Leo the Deacon, at one point one of the Pechenegs charged Bardas himself and delivered a sword blow on his helmet, which was deflected by the metal without doing harm. Bardas' young brother Constantine came to his rescue, killing the Pecheneg.

When the two opposing forces reached the place of the ambush, Bardas ordered the trumpets blown and the two concealed Byzantine divisions attacked the Pechenegs from the flanks and the rear. Cut off from aid and surrounded, the Pechenegs began to panic and flee. One of their leaders tried to rally his men, but he was attacked by Bardas Skleros himself, who killed him with a single sword-blow that reportedly cut him in two from his head down to the waist, through the Pecheneg's helmet and cuirass. The loss of the Pecheneg commander turned the battle into a complete rout, and panic spread to the Bulgarian contingent following behind the Pechenegs, which also suffered heavy casualties in the general chaos. The Byzantine casualties in the battle were low (Skylitzes speaks of 25 dead and Leo of 55) although they lost many horses to the Pecheneg arrows, while the losses of the Rus' force, although certainly lower than Leo's claimed 20,000, were still significant, probably running into several thousands.

Aftermath
The Byzantines were unable to exploit this victory or pursue the remnants of the Rus' army, since Bardas Phokas rose in revolt in Asia Minor. Bardas Skleros and his men were consequently withdrawn to Asia Minor, whilst Sviatoslav restricted his forces to the north of the Balkan Mountains. In the spring of the next year, however, with Phokas' rebellion subdued, Tzimiskes himself, at the head of his army, advanced north into Bulgaria. The Byzantines took the Bulgarian capital Preslav, capturing the Bulgarian tsar Boris II, and confined the Rus' in the fortress of Dorostolon (modern Silistra). After a three-month siege and a series of pitched battles before the city walls, Sviatoslav conceded defeat and abandoned Bulgaria.

In Hungarian historiography, the Battle of Arcadiopolis is considered as the final chapter of the Hungarian invasions of Europe, a series of plundering raids both westward and southward since the end of the 9th century. Following that the new Grand Prince, Géza consolidated his authority and also supported Christian missionaries from Western Europe (experiencing the fate of the Bulgarian patriarchate after John Tzimiskes's campaign against Bulgaria, when lost its independence), which led to the Christianization of the Magyars and the establishment of the Christian Kingdom of Hungary by the beginning of the new millennium.

References

Sources

Battles involving Kievan Rus'
Battles involving the Byzantine Empire
Battles involving the First Bulgarian Empire
Battles involving Hungary in the Middle Ages
Battles of the Hungarian invasions of Europe
Arcadiopolis
History of Kırklareli Province
970s in the Byzantine Empire
970s conflicts
970
10th century in Kievan Rus'
Battles involving the Pechenegs
Arcadiopolis

Battle of Arcadiopolis (970)


1601 was a common year.

Events
 February 8 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Queen Elizabeth I of England – his revolt is quickly crushed
 February 25 – Robert Devereux's head is chopped off as a punishment
 Jesuit Matteo Ricci arrives in China
 A bad harvest in Russia due to rainy summer
 Dutch troops chase Portuguese from Málaga
 Start of Siege of Kinsale, in Ireland – the siege started in the Autumn of 1601, and ended in the Battle of Kinsale on 3 January 1602 according to the Gregorian Calendar used today.  This calendar was already being used by the Irish and Spanish forces in the battle, but for the English side, who were still using the old Julian Calendar, the date of the battle was 24 December 1601.

1601


The Prothesis is the place in the sanctuary in which the Liturgy of Preparation takes place in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches. Prothesis and diaconicon are collectively referred to as pastophoria.

The Prothesis is located behind the Iconostasis and consists of a small table, also known as the Table of Oblation, on which the bread and wine are prepared for the Divine Liturgy. It is most often placed on the north side of the Altar, or in a separate chamber (itself referred to as the Prothesis) on the north side of the central apse.

Originally, the Prothesis was located in the same room as the Holy Table, being simply a smaller table placed against the eastern wall to the north of the Holy Table. During the reign of the Emperor Justin II (565–574), it came to occupy its own separate chamber to the north of the sanctuary, having a separate apse, and joined to the Altar by an arched opening. Another apsed chamber was added on the south side for the Diaconicon. So that from this time forward, large Orthodox churches were triapsidal (having three apses on the eastern side). Smaller churches still have only one chamber containing the Altar, the Prothesis and the Diaconicon.

In the Syriac Churches, the ritual is different, as both Prothesis and Diaconicon are generally rectangular, and the former constitutes a chamber for the deposit of offerings by the faithful. Consequently, it is sometimes placed on the south side, if by doing so it is more accessible to the laity.

In the Coptic Church, the men will enter the Prothesis to receive holy Communion (the women receive in front of the Holy Doors), and must remove their shoes before entering.

See also
Altar
Diaconicon

External links
Photo of Prothesis The Altar is in the background, behind the line of priests.

Eastern Christian liturgy
Altars
Church architecture
Byzantine sacred architecture

Prothesis (altar)


Basil I, nicknamed "the Macedonian" (; 811 – 29 August 886), was Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886. Born a lowly peasant in the theme of Macedonia, he rose to prominence in the imperial court after entering into the service of Theophilitzes, a relative of Emperor Michael III (r. 842–867). He was given a fortune by the wealthy Danielis and gained Michael's favour, whose mistress he married on his emperor's orders. In 866, Michael proclaimed him co-emperor, but Basil ordered his assassination the next year, thus installing himself as sole ruler of the empire. Despite his humble origins, he showed great ability in running the affairs of state, and founded the Macedonian dynasty. He was succeeded upon his death by his son (perhaps actually Michael III's son) Leo VI.

From peasant to emperor
Basil was born to peasant parents in late 811 (or sometime in the 830s in the estimation of some scholars) at Chariopolis in the Byzantine theme of Macedonia (an administrative division corresponding to the area of Adrianople in Thrace). The name of his father was Bardas, the name of his grandfather was Maïktes. His mother was named Pankalo (Παγκαλώ), and her father was called Leo. His ethnic origin is unknown and has been a subject of debate.

During Basil's reign, an elaborate genealogy was produced that purported that his ancestors were not mere peasants, as everyone believed, but descendants of the Arsacid (Arshakuni) kings of Armenia, Alexander the great and also of Constantine the Great. The Armenian historians Samuel of Ani and Stephen of Taron record that he hailed from the village of Thil in Taron. In contrast, Persian writers such as Hamza al-Isfahani, or al-Tabari, call both Basil and his mother Saqlabi, an ethnogeographic term that usually denoted the Slavs, but can also be interpreted as a generic term encompassing the inhabitants of the region between Constantinople and Bulgaria. Claims have therefore been made for an Armenian, Slavic, or indeed "Armeno-Slavonic" origin for Basil's father. The name of his mother points to a Greek origin on the maternal side. The general scholarly consensus is that Basil's father was "probably" of Armenian origin, and settled in Byzantine Thrace. It's worth noting that his close associates and friends were mostly Armenians and, besides Greek, he might have spoken Armenian as well. Norman Tobias, the author of the only dedicated biography of Basil I in English, concluded that it is impossible to be certain what the ethnic origins of the emperor were, though Basil was definitely reliant on the support of Armenians in prominent positions within the Byzantine Empire.

One story asserts that he had spent a part of his childhood in captivity in Bulgaria, where his family had, allegedly, been carried off as captives of the Khan Krum (r. 803–814) in 813. Basil lived there until 836, when he and several others escaped to Byzantine-held territory in Thrace. Basil was ultimately lucky enough to enter the service of Theophilitzes, a relative of the Caesar Bardas (the uncle of Emperor Michael III), as a groom. While serving Theophilitzes, he visited the city of Patras, where he gained the favour of Danielis, a wealthy woman who took him into her household and endowed him with a fortune. He also earned the notice of Michael III by his abilities as a horse tamer and in winning a victory over a Bulgarian champion in a wrestling match; he soon became the Byzantine Emperor's companion, confidant, and bodyguard (parakoimomenos). Symeon Magister describes Basil as "... most outstanding in bodily form and heavy set; his eyebrows grew together, he had large eyes and a broad chest, and a rather downcast expression".

On Emperor Michael's orders, Basil divorced his wife Maria and married Eudokia Ingerina, Michael's favourite mistress, in around 865. Around the same time, Michael III offered him his sister Thekla as a mistress. Basil had an affair with her until 870, when he discovered that she was being unfaithful to him and, for this reason, he sent her back to the convent she had been immured in previously. During an expedition against the Arabs, Basil convinced Michael III that his uncle Bardas coveted the Byzantine throne, and subsequently murdered Bardas with Michael's approval on 21 April 866. Basil then became the leading personality at court and was invested in the now vacant dignity of kaisar (Caesar), before being crowned co-emperor on 26 May 866. This promotion may have included Basil's adoption by Michael III, himself a much younger man. It was commonly believed that Leo VI, Basil's successor and reputed son, was really the son of Michael. Although Basil seems to have shared this belief (and hated Leo), the subsequent promotion of Basil to caesar and then co-emperor provided the child with a legitimate and Imperial parent and secured his succession to the Byzantine throne. When Leo was born, Michael III celebrated the event with public chariot races, whilst he pointedly instructed Basil not to presume on his new position as junior emperor.

When Michael III started to favour another courtier, Basiliskianos, Basil decided that his position was being undermined. Michael threatened to invest Basiliskianos with the Imperial title and this induced Basil to pre-empt events by organizing the assassination of Michael on the night of 24 September 867. Michael and Basiliskianos were insensibly drunk following a banquet at the palace of Anthimos when Basil, with a small group of companions (including his father Bardas, brother Marinos, and cousin Ayleon), gained entry. The locks to the chamber doors had been tampered with and the chamberlain had not posted guards; both victims were then put to the sword. On Michael III's death, Basil, as an already acclaimed co-emperor, automatically became the ruling basileus.

Reign

Basil I became an effective and respected monarch despite being a man with no formal education and little military or administrative experience. Moreover, he had been the boon companion of a debauched monarch and had achieved power through a series of calculated murders. That there was little political reaction to the murder of Michael III is probably due to his unpopularity with the bureaucrats of Constantinople because of his disinterest in the administrative duties of the Imperial office. Also, Michael's public displays of impiety had alienated the Byzantine populace in general. Once in power Basil soon showed that he intended to rule effectively and as early as his coronation he displayed an overt religiosity by formally dedicating his crown to Christ. He maintained a reputation for conventional piety and orthodoxy throughout his 19 year-long reign.

Domestic policies
Because of the great legislative work which Basil I undertook, he is often called the "second Justinian." Basil's laws were collected in the Basilika, consisting of sixty books, and smaller legal manuals known as the Eisagoge. Leo VI was responsible for completing these legal works. The Basilika remained the law of the Byzantine Empire down to its conquest by the Ottomans. Ironically, this codification of laws seems to have begun under the direction of the caesar Bardas who was murdered by Basil. Basil personally oversaw the construction of the Nea Ekklesia cathedral and his palatine hall the Kainourgion. His ecclesiastical policy was marked by good relations with Rome. One of his first acts was to exile the Patriarch of Constantinople, Photios, and restore his rival Ignatios, whose claims were supported by Pope Adrian II.

Foreign affairs
Emperor Basil's reign was marked by the troublesome ongoing war with the heretical Paulicians, centered on Tephrike on the upper Euphrates, who rebelled, allied with the Arabs, and raided as far as Nicaea, sacking Ephesus. Basil's general, Christopher, defeated the Paulicians in 872, and the death of their leader, Chrysocheir, led to the definite subjection of their state. Basil was the first Byzantine emperor since Constans II (r. 641–668) to pursue an active policy to restore the Empire's power in the West. Basil allied with Holy Roman Emperor Louis II (r. 850–875) against the Arabs and sent a fleet of 139 ships to clear the Adriatic Sea of their raids. With Byzantine help, Louis II captured Bari from the Arabs in 871. The city eventually became Byzantine territory in 876. However, the Byzantine position on Sicily deteriorated, and Syracuse fell to the Emirate of Sicily in 878. This was ultimately Basil's fault as he had diverted a relief fleet from Sicily to haul marble for a church instead. Although most of Sicily was lost, the general Nikephoros Phokas (the Elder) succeeded in taking Taranto and much of Calabria in 880. The successes in the Italian peninsula opened a new period of Byzantine domination there. Above all, the Byzantines were beginning to establish a strong presence in the Mediterranean Sea, and especially the Adriatic.

Last years and succession

Basil's spirits declined in 879, when his eldest and favourite son, Constantine, died. Basil now raised his youngest son, Alexander, to the rank of co-emperor. Basil disliked the bookish Leo, on occasion physically beating him; he probably suspected Leo of being the son of Michael III. In his later years, Basil's relationship with Leo was clouded by the suspicion that the latter might wish to avenge the murder of Michael III. Leo was eventually imprisoned by Basil after the detection of a suspected plot, but the imprisonment resulted in public rioting; Basil threatened to blind Leo but was dissuaded by Patriarch Photios. Leo was eventually released after the passage of three years. Basil died on 29 August 886, from a fever contracted after a serious hunting accident when his belt was caught in the antlers of a deer, and he was allegedly dragged 16 miles through the woods. He was saved by an attendant who cut him loose with a knife, but he suspected the attendant of trying to assassinate him and had the man executed shortly before he himself died. One of the first acts of Leo VI as ruling emperor was to rebury, with great ceremony, the remains of Michael III in the Imperial Mausoleum within the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. This did much to confirm in public opinion the view that Leo considered himself to have been Michael's son.

Family

Some modern controversy and historical ambiguity surrounds Basil I's personal life, especially given a lack of contemporaneous sources. One question that has emerged in modern scholarship is whether or not Basil was involved in same-sex relationships and if such relationships played a role in his unlikely rise to power. Historian Shaun Fitzroy Tougher cites a history written by George the Monk that uses the Greek word pothos to describe Basil's relationship with Michael, a word which had historically been used in some Greek Christian sources to describe the desire between a wife and a husband. However, within the law code, the Basilika, inaugurated by Basil I, the illegal nature of male homosexuality and its, largely theoretical, capital punishment were retained in full.

Aspects of the family relationships of Basil I are likewise uncertain and open to a variety of interpretations.
Therefore, the information given below should not be treated as comprehensive or definite:

By his first wife Maria, Basil I had several children, including:
Bardas.
Anastasia, who married the general Christopher.
Constantine (c. 860 – 3 September 879), crowned emperor in January 868. According to George Alexandrovič Ostrogorsky, Constantine was betrothed to Ermengard of Provence, daughter of Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Engelberga in 869. The marital contract was broken in 871 when relations between Basil and Louis broke down.

By Eudokia Ingerina, Basil I had the following children:
Leo VI, who succeeded as Byzantine emperor and may actually have been a son of Michael III.
Stephen I, Patriarch of Constantinople, who may also actually have been a son of Michael III.
Alexander, who succeeded as Byzantine emperor in 912.
Anna Porphyrogenita, a nun at the convent of St. Euphemia in Petrion.
Helena Porphyrogenita, a nun at the convent of St. Euphemia in Petrion.
Maria Porphyrogenita, a mother of nuns at the convent of St. Euphemia in Petrion.

Leo VI's son Constantine VII wrote a biography of his grandfather, the Vita Basilii, around 950.

In popular culture
Harry Turtledove, a historian noted for his speculative fiction based on alternative history, has written several series set in a place called Videssos, which is a thinly disguised Byzantine Empire. The Tale of Krispos trilogy – Krispos Rising (1991), Krispos of Videssos (1991), and Krispos the Emperor (1994) – are fictionalized retellings of the rise of Basil.
Stephen Lawhead's book, Byzantium (1996), uses the succession of Basil I as seed for the conspiracy which occupies most of the novel.
Robert Greene's book The 48 Laws of Power (1998), features Basil I's rise to power, by way of his interactions and later his manipulations of Michael III, as an example of a "transgression of the law" for Law #2, "Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies".
Basil is a playable character in the Crusader Kings franchise, developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive

See also

List of Byzantine emperors

Notes

References

Citations

Primary sources
Recent years have seen the first translations into English of a number of primary sources about Basil I and his times.
 Featherstone, Jeffrey Michael and Signes-Codoñer, Juan (tranlators). Chronographiae quae Theophanis Continuati nomine fertur Libri I-IV (Chronicle of Theophanes Continuatus Books I-IV, comprising the reigns of Leo V the Armenian to Michael III), Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2015.
 Kaldellis, A. (trans.). On the reigns of the emperors (the history of Joseph Genesios), Canberra: Australian Association for Byzantine Studies; Byzantina Australiensia 11, 1998.
 Ševčenko, Ihor (trans.). Chronographiae quae Theophanis Continuati nomine fertur Liber quo Vita Basilii Imperatoris amplectitur (Chronicle of Theophanes Continuatus comprising the Life of Basil I), Berlin: De Gruyter, 2011.
 Wahlgren, Staffan (translator, writer of introduction and commentary). The Chronicle of the Logothete, Liverpool University Press; Translated Texts for Byzantinists, vol. 7, 2019.
 Wortley, John (trans.). A synopsis of Byzantine history, 811-1057 (the history of John Scylitzes, active 1081), Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Secondary sources

Further reading

External links

Basil I – World History Encyclopedia

9th-century Byzantine emperors
Macedonian dynasty
Armenian Byzantine emperors
Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine wars
811 births
886 deaths
Hunting accident deaths
Parakoimomenoi
Protostratores
860s in the Byzantine Empire
870s in the Byzantine Empire
880s in the Byzantine Empire
Medieval bodyguards
Royal favourites
Adult adoptees

Basil I


The DVD Copy Control Association (DVD CCA) is an organization primarily responsible for the copy protection of DVDs. The Content Scramble System (CSS) was devised for this purpose to make copyright infringement difficult, but also presents obstacles to some legitimate uses of the media. The association is also responsible for the controversial Regional Playback Control (RPC), the region encoding scheme which gives movie studios geographic control over DVD distribution.

As of 2001, members included film distributors such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros.

They filed the much publicized case versus Jon Johansen who they alleged wrote DeCSS. The case was dropped in January 2004. CSS decrypting software (such as DVD Decrypter, AnyDVD, and DVD Shrink) allows a region-specific DVD to be copied as an all-region DVD. It also removes Macrovision, CSS, region codes, and user operation prohibitions. They also filed the suit DVD CCA v. Bunner against people who distributed DeCSS, seeking injunctions to stop further distribution based on trade secret claims. The injunction was eventually denied because CSS was no longer a secret by the time litigation occurred.

Features restricted by manufacturers
All hardware manufacturers (especially DVD player/burner manufacturers) implement DVD CCA-mandated enforcement features on their products as RPC (which is one of three restrictions in the Content Scramble System); some even go beyond that and implement additional features to restrict ripping, for example:
 RIPLOCK: many manufacturers put an artificial limit, or lock, on ripping speeds. Some of these drives have alternative 3rd-party firmware that have this removed to enable faster ripping. See the RPC-1 Firmware Site for example.
 Bitsetting/Booktyping: this is a feature which makes DVD+Rs readable by older DVD players that can play DVD-ROMS only. Some manufacturers disable this feature on their drives. Again, some alternative 3rd-party firmware can enable this so that burned DVDs appear as DVD-ROMs and are playable by older DVD players.

See also
 Blu-ray region code
 Blu-ray, the successor of DVD
 DVD Copy Control Ass'n, Inc. v. Bunner
 Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Reimerdes
 DVD Copy Control Ass'n, Inc. v. Kaleidescape, Inc.
 RealNetworks, Inc. v. DVD Copy Control Ass'n, Inc.

References

External links
 DVD CCA

Arts and media trade groups
Technology trade associations
Hardware restrictions
Compact Disc and DVD copy protection

DVD Copy Control Association


Appoquinimink Friends Meetinghouse, also known as the Odessa Friends Meetinghouse, is a very small but historic Quaker meetinghouse on Main Street in Odessa, Delaware.  It was built in 1785 by David Wilson and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.  Members of the meeting, including John Hunn and his cousin John Alston, were active in the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman may have hid in the meetinghouse. Measuring about  by , it may be the smallest brick house of worship in the United States.

History
Quakers were some of the earliest settlers in the Odessa area, but the first meetinghouse was not established until 1763 when Friends in Georges Creek applied to the Kennett Monthly Meeting to form a preparative (subsidiary) meeting.  They later affiliated with the Duck Creek Monthly Meeting in Smyrna, Delaware and in 1781 applied to move the meeting place to Appoquinimink Bridge (also called Cantwell's Bridge and now called Odessa).

A Quaker school, however, was established in Appoquinimink in 1735 and continued until the late 1800s.  The school building was later used as a parsonage by the Zoar Methodist Episcopal Church and then demolished.  The adjacent Methodist church was built in 1885 on land sold to it by the Quakers.

David Wilson built the present meetinghouse about 1785, but the building and grounds were not deeded to the Meeting until 1800.  Wilson and his wife, Mary Corbit, were not married at a Quaker meeting, but rather by a minister, so they were temporarily banned or "read out of the meeting."
In 1828 the Orthodox-Hicksite schism greatly reduced the membership of the Appoquinimink Meeting. The locally prominent Corbit family and several other members began attending the Orthodox meetinghouse in Wilmington, but the Duck Creek Monthly Meeting became Hicksite and owned the property.

The Alston family, including John Hunn, continued to support the Appoquinimink Meeting.  The Meeting became a station on the Underground Railroad and Hunn, along with Thomas Garrett was arrested, then severely fined, for helping fugitive slaves.  The meetinghouse's basement and second
story, which has a removable panel under the eaves, may have been used to hide escaping slaves.

In the early 1870s John Alston was the only active member of the meeting.  After he died in 1874, the meetinghouse deteriorated.  Some of the rancor from the Orthodox-Hicksite schism may have survived however. The graves of Corbit family members were removed from the Hicksite property in 1900 and reburied in a private plot separated by a brick wall from the burial ground of the meetinghouse.  This plot was given to the Wilmington Monthly Meeting in 1970.

The building was restored in 1938, opened for worship in 1939, and in 1948 an Appoquinimink congregation was formed and given title to the property, which had devolved to the State of Delaware. The meeting continues to operate on a regular basis, meeting twice a month (first and third Sundays), as a preparative meeting under the care of the Wilmington Monthly Meeting.

See also
 List of Underground Railroad sites

References

External links
 Odessa Friends Meetinghouse, Route 299, Odessa, New Castle County, DE: 1 photo and 2 data pages at Historic American Buildings Survey

African-American history of Delaware
Quaker meeting houses in Delaware
Churches completed in 1785
18th-century Quaker meeting houses
Churches in New Castle County, Delaware
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware
Churches on the Underground Railroad
National Register of Historic Places in New Castle County, Delaware
Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Delaware
Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware
Cemeteries established in the 1780s

Appoquinimink Friends Meetinghouse


St. Edward's Crown is a part of the coronation regalia. The crown was commissioned for the Coronation of Charles II on 23 April 1661 from the Crown Jeweller, Robert Viner. After the 1689 coronation of William III, its importance diminished. It was often carried in procession and set on the altar rather than placed on the Monarch's head. The Imperial State Crown was used instead for the actual crowning. It was not until George V's coronation in 1911 that the crown resumed its traditional place.

The present St Edward's Crown contains much of the crown made in 1661 for the coronation of King Charles II. The crown is made of gold. It weighs 71oz 14dwt. It was set with hired stones for the coronations and then reset with imitations for display purposes. In 1911 it was fitted with 444 semi-precious stones. The crown frame dates to 1661 but it is possible that it (or parts of it) were constructed from a pre-Restoration crown. Materials used include gold, silver, platinum, enamel, tourmalines, topazes, rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, peridot, zircons, spinel, aquamarines, velvet, and ermine.

At a coronation, the Archbishop of Canterbury takes the crown from the altar and places it reverently upon the Monarch's head. "God save the King/Queen" is heard. The princes and princesses, the peers and peeresses put on their coronets and caps. The trumpets sound and a royal salute is fired at the Tower of London. After the crowning, the Monarch is enthroned and receives the homage of the clergy, princes, and peers.

References

Other websites
 Official website of the British Monarchy
 St Edward's Crown

Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
Symbols

St. Edward's Crown


The Swaminarayan Mandir in Auckland (Devnagari: श्री स्वमिनरयन मन्दिर, औक्क्लन्द) is the second Mandir (Temple) of the Swaminarayan Sampraday in New Zealand. The Mandir comes under the ISSO of the NarNarayan Dev Gadi.

History

Auckland has the highest population density of people of Chinese and Indian cultures and a number of new Hindu temples were opened in recent years.

An Asia New Zealand Foundation report, "Diverse Auckland: The Face of New Zealand in the 21st Century", written by University of Auckland's Dr Wardlow Friesen, says the city will continue to absorb more migrants than the rest of the country.

In his report Dr. Friesen confirms: "On a physical level, the evidence of the emergence of diverse religious practices of the Asian population of Auckland is dramatic."

Recently completed Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Auckland, New Zealand has become a beacon within all Sanatan Dharmic temples purely because of the amount of faith that has been put in God before and during the project. Thousands of hours of service have gone into individually hand carving the walls and ceiling of this temple. Over 5 years, careful planning and implementing took place by the local community of Papatoetoe, Auckland to ensure a new home is made for Swaminarayan. Designing, engineering and construction had gone beyond New Zealand to Hong Kong, India and Europe to ensure results. Intricate wood carvings as per traditional Indian architecture, to grand purpose built moldings, pillars and Shikhars have all been carefully crafted by expert tradesmen from all over the world. Dr. Kantilal Patel and his wife, Mrs Ranjna Patel, two people who were involved in the building of this temple, have been awarded the Queen's Service Medal (QSM) for their community service.

Opening of the temple

The Murti Pran Pratistha Mahotsav (Deity installation ceremony) was conducted by Acharya Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj, on 24 March 2008.  The central Murtis consecrated in the temple are Ghanshyam Maharaj, NarNarayan Dev, RadhaKrishna Dev and Ram Parivar as well as Kul Dev's of the local community.

See also

 Swaminarayan
 Swaminarayan Sampraday

References

Hindu temples in New Zealand
Asian-New Zealand culture in Auckland
Chinese-New Zealand culture
Hinduism in New Zealand
Indian diaspora in New Zealand
Swaminarayan temples
Religious buildings and structures in Auckland
2000s architecture in New Zealand

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Auckland


Charles P. Nemfakos (born 1942) was United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) from 1998 to 2001.

Biography

Charles P. Nemfakos was born in Athens, Greece on October 21, 1942.  He was raised in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and graduated from McAllen High School in 1960.  He attended the University of Texas–Pan American in Edinburg, Texas, graduating with a B.A. in History in 1964.  He then attended Georgetown University, receiving an M.A. in Government.

In 1966, Nemfakos joined the United States Department of the Navy as a Management Intern, and then received a permanent job with the Office of Naval Material.  In August 1973, he joined the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) as a senior budget analyst.  In this position, he was responsible for United States Department of Defense Test and Evaluation activities, procurement of all Department of Defense communication and electronic equipment, and naval weapons.  In August 1975, he became Director for Budget Policy in the Office of the Comptroller of the Navy.  There, he was responsible for budget policies and procedures.  In August 1976, he was promoted to Associate Director of Budget and Reports in the Office of the Comptroller of the Navy, meaning he now oversaw the formulation, presentation and execution of the budget of the United States Department of the Navy.  After eighteen years in this office, Nemfakos joined the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment) in January 1994 as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy.  In this capacity, he was responsible for implementing the Department of the Navy's Base Realignment and Closure in 1995.

In August 1995, Nemfakos became Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy, and was responsible for institutional management, strategic planning and assisting the Secretary and Under Secretary of the Navy with privatization, incentives, and further right-sizing.

In October 1998, United States Secretary of the Navy John Howard Dalton designated Nemfakos as Senior Civilian Official in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller), and Nemfakos held this post from November 5, 1998 until July 2, 2001.

Upon leaving federal service, Nemfakos became an executive at Lockheed Martin in the Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems division.  In September 2003, Nemfakos launched a consulting firm, Nemfakos Partners, LLC.  In March 2007, he became a senior fellow at RAND. Also in 2007, Nemfakos was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

References

 McAllen High School alumni profile
 Biography of Nemfakos
 RAND Profile

United States Assistant Secretaries of the Navy
1942 births
Living people
People from Hidalgo County, Texas
University of Texas–Pan American alumni
Georgetown University alumni
Clinton administration personnel

Charles P. Nemfakos


Ademir Marques de Menezes (8 November 1922 – 11 May 1996) was a Brazilian football player. He played for Brazil national team. Regarded as one of the best strikers in the world. A fast and powerful striker, with a strong shot in both feet, Ademir began his career as a left winger before moving to the centre, causing havoc in opposing defences with his skill and sublime finishing. People at the time considered him an unequalled ball juggler who knew every trick in the book. He used to wreak havoc among defences with his quick changes in tempo, fooling his opponents with deceptions carried out almost at lightning speed, his mastering of the ball in all situations and the ability to accelerate rapidly. His prominent underbite earned him the nickname "Queixada", which means "jaw".

Club career
He came to football at the age of 14 in 1937. He first played at the youth level in the Pernambuco state championship for the Sport Recife team, where his father Antonio Rodriguez, a retired colonel, was on the board of directors. With the team in 1939, 1940 and 1941 Ademir became the champion of the competition. Among other players, the young mulatto stood out with excellent starting speed and "jet" breakthroughs with the ball, which the Brazilians called the English word "rush". Together with the Pernambuco team, in 1942 Ademir went on tour in Brazil. During the trip, the team met in matches with the strongest clubs in the country. And to the surprise of the organizers of friendly matches, in 16 games the national team won 10 victories. The match with Vasco da Gama turned out to be the most enchanting. At the beginning of the game, the Pernambuco team lost 0-3, but thanks to four goals Ademir was able to win with a score of 5-4. After the match, the owners of the defeated club could not be surprised by the skill of the striker and the same 1942 Ademir moved to "Vasco da Gama". He then became the first Brazilian footballer to receive money for a new team. He played for Vasco for three years, during which time he added another state title to his title, but now not to Pernambuco, but to Rio. The team won this title at the peak of its popularity in 1945. Vasco did not lose a single match in that championship. In 1946 , Ademir moved to another club from Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo, for two years. And together with him he became the champion of the state of Rio. At that time, the striker was a real leader of his team, which beat thanks to his goals of both its main competitors - and "Vasco da Gama" and "Botafogo". And in 1948, Ademir returned to Vasco da Gama and played here until 1956 , the end of his professional football career (next year he will play several matches in his first team - Sport Recife) - but only in the role of the amateur). As part of the team, he became the South American club champion in 1948, won the Rio State Championship three more times, and in 1949 and 1950 became the top scorer in the state championship. He had 30 and 25 goals, respectively.

International career
Adimir has played for the national team for the first time in 1945. On January 21, he first appeared in a match against Colombia. He started playing as a left forward, and later the coach began to use him as a central striker. In 1949, together with the national team, Ademir became the champion of South America. He was considered such a dangerous player in those days that rival teams were forced to use a separate central defender to neutralize him. The striker gained his greatest fame at the 1950 World Cup, becoming the tournament's top scorer. However, he could thank his fellow defenders, who gave great passes. The attacker had only to lock them. But over the goal in the game with the Spaniards Ademir really "sweated". In the fight with defender Parra, he gained control of the ball and suddenly hit the goal. Goalkeeper Ramallets tried to save his team, but could not even touch the leather ball. Despite the victories, in the main, final match, the Brazilians lost to Uruguay 2-1. The defeat was a great grief for the succession of the whole country. But the celebration of Ademir's golden boot still became a spoonful of honey in a barrel of tar. The player was noted for his ability to use his moments, and his compatriot Didi compared Ademir to the Frenchman Just Fontaine. Didi said of both strikers that "they are the ones who score nine of the ten goal moments."
Ademir's greatest popularity in Brazil came in the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was so large that Brazilians named their newborns after him. The son of Brazilian defender Domingos da Guia also grew up with this name. In 1974, Ademir da Guia participated in the World Cup.
It is known that during the 1950 World Cup, a man ran to the coach of the Brazilian national team, Flavio Costa, and began to ask him to release Ademir from the Casadas-Pedras camp for a few hours. The man explained that his son urgently needed surgery. And he does not want to agree to it until he sees Ademir. Flavio Costa made an exception and released his striker from the Brazilian camp to meet a stubborn little fan. Obviously, the meeting played a positive role and the operation was quite successful. Ademir was also preparing to participate in the 1954 World Cup. But an injury prevented him from playing. After that, the player decided to finish playing for the national team. His last match was against Uruguay on March 15, 1953.

End of career and post-football life
In 1957, Ademir returned to the amateur club "Sport Recife", where he began his career. He played a few games here, but due to poor form he was forced to stop playing altogether. Until 1967, Ademir tried his hand at coaching, working at the Vasco da Gama club, but later began working in journalism. The former footballer contributed to the newspapers of Rio de Janeiro, and also worked as a football commentator for Radio Maua. Ademir died on May 11, 1996 at the age of 73.

International career statistics

|-
|1945||9||7
|-
|1946||6||1
|-
|1947||2||0
|-
|1948||0||0
|-
|1949||5||7
|-
|1950||9||14
|-
|1951||0||0
|-
|1952||5||2
|-
|1953||3||1
|-
!Total||39||32
|}

Honours

Club
Sport Recife
Campeonato Pernambucano: 1941, 1942

Vasco da Gama
Campeonato Carioca: 1945, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1956
South American Championship of Champions: 1948

Fluminense
Campeonato Carioca: 1947

International
Brazil
South American Championship: 1949
Panamerican Championship: 1952
FIFA World Cup Runner-up: 1950
South American Championship Runner-up: 1945, 1946, 1953
Copa Rio Branco: 1947, 1950
Copa Rio Branco Runner-up: 1946, 1948
Roca Cup: 1945
Taça Oswaldo Cruz: 1950

Individual
Copa América Best Player: 1949
FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 1950
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1950
IFFHS Brazilian Player of the 20th Century (18th place)
IFFHS South American Player of the 20th Century (44th place)
Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame
France Football's World Cup Top-100 1930–1990: 28th place
68th Greatest Player of the 20th Century by Placar Magazine: 1999
100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century by World Soccer Magazine: 1999
1000 Greatest Sportsmen of the 20th Century by The Sunday Times
95th Greatest Player in the History of World Cups by Placar Magazine: 2006
Vasco's Dream Team by Placar Magazine: 2006
1950 FIFA World Cup (8 goals)
1941 Pernambuco Championship (11 goals)
1949 Carioca Championship (31 goals)
1950 Carioca Championship (25 goals)
1951 Rio-São Paulo Tournament (9 goals)

References

1922 births
1996 deaths
1950 FIFA World Cup players
Brazilian footballers
Sportspeople from Recife

Ademir de Menezes


Little Cacapon is an unincorporated community in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Little Cacapon is located at the mouth of the Little Cacapon River on the Potomac, east of Okonoko. Okonoko-Little Cacapon Road (West Virginia Secondary Route 2/7) and Spring Gap-Neals Run Road (West Virginia Secondary Route 2) converge south of Little Cacapon. Because of its key location at the mouth of the Little Cacapon and on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Little Cacapon played important roles in both the French and Indian and American Civil Wars.  Generally pronounced  .  Sometimes, despite the current spelling of the word (derived from local Native American for "medicine water") some locals say  .

Fort Cox
On April 4, 1765, a settler by the name of Balzar Stoker received a land grant of 232 acres (940,000 m²) from Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron along the Little Cacapon River and its mouth on the Potomac. Prior to receiving his land grant from Lord Fairfax, Stoker had also purchased 30 acres (120,000 m²) from John Cox. Located on these lands at the Little Cacapon's mouth was "Coxes Ferry," which crossed the Potomac to Maryland. It was at the river's mouth (referred to as "Ferry Field") that a relative of John Cox, Friend Cox, had constructed a stockade. Cox's Fort was erected prior to 1750 for the purposes of protecting and defending both the Potomac River and the Little Cacapon valley. George Washington had previously surveyed a tract of 240 acres (970,000 m²) of land at the Little Cacapon's mouth for Nicholas Friend on April 25, 1750. Cox's fort and ferry later served as a means of transportation for General Edward Braddock and his soldiers en route to Cumberland from Winchester during the French and Indian War.

Civil War skirmishes
By 1842, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had been completed from Baltimore to Cumberland along the Potomac River through Green Spring, Okonoko, and Little Cacapon. With the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad became a contested mode of transportation between the Union and the Confederacy. Once again, the mouth of the Little Cacapon became a vital location of defense of both the railroad and the Little Cacapon valley. On November 30, 1861, a skirmish occurred near the river in defense of the Little Cacapon railroad bridge that resulted in the wounding of three Union soldiers. The 54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment's Company K, under the leadership of Captain Edmond R. Newhard, was assigned to guard duty at the Baltimore and Ohio's railroad bridge over the Little Cacapon until January 1863. On October 4, 1862, a skirmish between Company K and Confederate soldiers under the command of General John D. Imboden resulted in the capture of 54 Company K men (including Captain Newhard and Lieutenant Wagner).

Historic site
 Cox's Fort Site

References

External links

Unincorporated communities in Hampshire County, West Virginia
Unincorporated communities in West Virginia
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
West Virginia populated places on the Potomac River
Hampshire County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War
American Civil War sites in West Virginia

Little Cacapon, West Virginia


The Café de la Gare is a dinner theater located at 41, rue du Temple in the 4th arrondissement of Paris.  It lies in a square hidden between Notre Dame de Paris and the historic Marais district. It was originally created in 1968 by a close-knit group of comedy actors who fixed up an old factory near the Gare de Paris-Montparnasse in the 14th arrondissement. It was not until 1972 that the Cafe moved to its present location where it has become the largest and most famous fringe theater in Paris with a house that seats 450.

History
When it was founded, the Cafe de la Gare was called a "dinner theater", a vague term which at the time, applied mainly to a tax category. However, it was never a coffee house, and there were never any tables or chairs, only benches for about 180 people, surrounding the three sides of a stage eight meters wide and five meters deep.

From the beginning the theatre was dedicated to mockery and farce.  When the patrons arrived they had to draw lots determine the price of their seats.  Once seated they were entitled to a drink and a cushion which the actors frequently threw in their face.  Even the slogan of the theatre was brash:
"It's ugly, it's dirty, it's going to happen" (C'est moche, c'est sale, c'est dans le vent.)

A remarkable number of the founding members of the Café de la Gare went on to become famous.  These include Romain Bouteille, Sotha, Coluche, Patrick Dewaere, Henri Guybet, and Miou-Miou. At one time or another the company included Gérard Lanvin, Gérard Depardieu, Renaud, Thierry Lhermitte, Diane Kurys, Coline Serreau, Josiane Balasko, Anémone, and Gérard Jugnot. Even the patrons of the cafe became famous; among the regulars over the years were Georges Moustaki, Raymond Devos, Jean Ferrat, Jacques Brel, Pierre Perret, and Jean Yanne.

References

External links

 Dewaere, Coluche, and Bouteille of the Café de la Gare, Video, August 28, 2010

Theatres in Paris
Buildings and structures in the 4th arrondissement of Paris

Café de la Gare


Shangyu District () is a district of the prefecture-level city of Shaoxing in the northeast of Zhejiang province, China.  At the 2010 census, its population in the built-up (or metro) area was 779,412, up from 722,523 in the 2000 census. Shangyu is roughly fifty kilometers from north to south and about thirty kilometers from east to west. It makes up about one-fourth of the area of Shaoxing prefecture. Shangyu District is not part of the Hangzhou-Shaoxing built-up area as some countryside still prevent the city from being conurbated until now.

Administrative divisions
Subdistricts:
Baiguan Subdistrict (百官街道), Cao'e Subdistrict (曹娥街道), Dongguan Subdistrict (东关街道)

Towns:
Daoxu (道墟镇), Shangpu (上浦镇), Tangpu (汤浦镇), Zhangzhen (章镇镇), Xiaguan (下管镇), Fenghui (丰惠镇), Yonghe (永和镇), Lianghu (梁湖镇), Yiting (驿亭镇), Songxia (崧厦镇), Lihai (沥海镇), Xiaoyue (小越镇), Xietang (谢塘镇), Changtang (长塘镇), Gaibei (盖北镇)

Townships:
Lingnan Township (岭南乡), Chenxi Township (陈溪乡), Dingzhai Township (丁宅乡)

Climate

Baiguan
Shangyu's urban center, Baiguan, is located where the Cao'e River flows out of the hilly area that makes up more than half of the county, into flat alluvial land bordering Hangzhou Bay. This river, and the Cao E Temple () next to it, are named after a fourteen-year-old girl who became famous in 143 AD for her filial devotion.  She died in the river trying to retrieve the body of her father (Cao Xu) who drowned while officiating at a ceremony in honor of Wu Zixu who himself was famous for his filial piety.

Baiguan is about  east of Shaoxing's urban center. The railroad from Hangzhou to Ningbo passes through Baiguan, and the new superhighway between Hangzhou and Ningbo skirts Baiguan. Within Shangyu, just northwest of Baiguan, the Hangzhou-Ningbo highway (mostly east–west) intersects with a superhighway that goes south to the seacoast and then down the coast, through Wenzhou and Fuzhou, all the way to Guangzhou.

In the name "Baiguan" () "bai" means "hundred" and "guan" means an imperial civil service official. The city came to be called this when it became famous for producing many scholars who became officials by passing the imperial civil service examination.

Culture
In the tragic legend of the Butterfly Lovers, the young lady was from Shangyu and the young gentleman was from Shaoxing.

Two books by Zhang Jinhuan () published by the Zhejiang University Press deal with porcelain (mostly celadon) produced in the Cao'e River Valley in Shangyu starting in the Eastern Han dynasty:
Shangyu Yue Kilns  () (2007) , and
Yue Porcelain Gems () (2009) .

Language

Wu language, also known as Jiang Nan, Wu Yue, Jiang Dong language. Three thousand years of history from the Zhou Dynasty. In China, Wu language are distributing in Zhejiang, southern part of Jiangsu, Shanghai, southern part of Anhui and Fujian province. The population who use this language is about ninety million.

People in Shangyu are use Wu language as major communication way in daily life. This language retains many ancient tones and words, culture value of research Chinese development is very high. It is a vivid expression of the thinking way and life style of the people who live in the south of the Yangtze River. More than one hundred cities led by Shanghai, make up Wu city group and Jiangnan culture circle that have similar value recognition, creating huge treasure through unity and mutual aid. Yangtze river delta region became the richest area in the whole China, Shangyu district is one of important part in it.

Putonghua (Standard mandarin) is the general language of China, it takes Beijing pronunciation as the standard pronunciation, northern dialect as the basic dialect. Shangyu is located in the south of China, so these two languages are very different, but to enhance communication among all ethnic groups and promote the cohesion of the Chinese nation, the government started popularizing Putonghua on a national scale from 2005.  Therefore, people in Shangyu using Wu language as daily communication and using Putonghua in schools or travel to other places.

Traditional food
Steamed pork with preserved vegetables ()

Cook pork firstly with star anise and soy sauce, then cover the pork with the pickled vegetables, finally steamed together in the specific pot. It tastes delicious but not greasy due to heavy fat, smooth and chewy. For the nutrition value, Pork have high quality protein and essential fatty acid, preserved vegetables have high concentration carotene and magnesium.

Fermented bean curd ()

It is a traditional folk food that has been spread for thousands of years in China. Because of its good taste, high nutrition and specific smell, the special flavor of eating is loved by the Chinese people. Fermented bean curd can be divides to three categories that are red, white and green. "Red hot", "Rose" and "Sweet spicy" are characteristics of fermented bean curd, which are only produced in Shangyu district. Bean curd make from beans and yellow wine. Because of its good taste, high nutrition and specific smell, the special flavor of eating is loved by the Chinese people. Fermented bean curd can be divides to three categories that are red, white and green.

It cover the culture and memory of Shangyu people from childhood. It is the best food for breakfast.

As for the cook methods, every family have different ways to do it depend on taste and mom's requirements

Yellow rice wine ()

Yellow rice wine used rice, millet as raw materials, the general alcohol content is 14% - 20%, belongs to low degree brewing wine. Yellow rice wine has high nutrition value, contains 21 kinds of amino acids, eight kinds of essential amino acids that the human can't synthesis must rely on food intake are all exist in yellow rice wine. "Marden red" is the most famous yellow rice wine in Shangyu, this kind of wine buried in the soil when girls born, after about 18 years, as present to husband on the wedding.

Tourist attractions
Shangyu has a long history, the inscriptions on oracle bones have already recorded "Shangyu" which is 3000 years ago. Therefore, many human landscapes were existed in history and keep until now.
Southern part of Shangyu are hilly and mountain area, natural landscapes like quaternary glacier and fruit trees are famous here.

Fengming Mountain ()

Fengming mountain is located in the town of Fenghui, about far from town center. Scenic area is about 2.4 square kilometers, the "overhanging rocks and waterfall" and "one-thousand-year-old vine" are most popular and shocked landscapes. In addition, Taoist literatures named here are "the ninth great holy land" because alchemy ancestor and the Taoist patriarch Wei Boyang was born and concocted pills of immortality in this mountain, finally write down the book "Zhou yi shen tong qi", which has great and unique contribution to the study of ancient chemistry and health science.

Gong Mountain ()

Gong mountain located in Songxia town, cross Yixian County, Xiuning County and Huizhou District. The area is about 1078 square kilometers. Gong mountain is one of the most famous three mountains in Zhejiang province. Sunrise, strangely-shaped pines, rocks, sea of clouds, hot springs are "five beauties" that all tourists love them. In addition, Gong mountain with important scientific and ecological value of study the change and development of geologic structures.

The Famen Temple ()

Faning Temple, renowned for storing the veritable finger bone of the Shakyamuni Buddha, is located in Shangyu of Zhejiang province. Faning Temple was established in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220) for spreading Buddhism. The most representative structures in the temple are the Faning Temple Pagoda and Faning Temple Museum. Many royal treasures and jewelry were found here because Buddhism was supported by dominators in ancient China. Faning Temple was the royal temple during the Sui and Tang Dynasty. Emperors in Sui and Tang believed that enshrining and worshiping the bone of Shakyamuni would bring richness and peace to the land and people. So, the finger bone was stored carefully, which was housed in the underground palace.

Glaciers of Fuzhi mountain ()

Fuzhi mountain located in the border area of Shangyu, Shengzhou and Yuyao city. The elevation of Fuzhi mountain is 861.3 meters, cloud and mist around the mountain almost whole year, and a stone river rolling with the slope. The existence of stone river duo to the quaternary glacier movements.

The large scale of the fourth stone glaciers in Shangyu, the richness of the ancient glacial kinds and located in such low latitudes and low altitude area is rare all over the word, which is called the world wonder. Discovery results has proved that in the early Quaternary period of about 2.9 to 3 million 500 thousand years ago, this area did have a large scale of ancient glacial movement. It can provide important practical data for the study of quaternary geological history, climate and environmental evolution in east Asia and the world. On the other hand, because of the unique sceneries of the stone glacier and the ice terrace that high ornamental value in Fuzhi mountain become an awesome tourist resource.

Nautical Flower Fields Of Hangzhou Bay (杭州湾海上花田)

The nautical flower fields of Hangzhou Bay located in the south part of Hangzhou Bay New Area. This tourist attraction is made up of landscapes of blooming flowers, lakes and faux landmarks like a windmill and a chapel. People come here to enjoy pastoral ecological scenery and the experience of agriculture. It's a colorful garden landscape with colorful pastoral and sea flower fields, and has five functional areas, such as colorful pastoral area. This place has developed a leisure tourism sub-project such as the Agronomical Hall, the Ecological Agriculture Demonstration Base, and the Ten-mile Gallery to provide visitors with an idyllic ecological depth experience.

References

Shaoxing

Districts of Zhejiang

Shangyu District


The Barringer Crater was the first meteorite crater to be recognised for what it is. It is a young crater, made about 50,000 years ago in Arizona.

Daniel Barringer (May 25, 1860 – November 30, 1929) was a geologist. He was the first person to prove the existence of an impact crater on the Earth. The site has been renamed the Barringer Crater in his honor, and this is the preferred name used by scientists.

The crater is a popular tourist attraction. It is privately owned by the Barringer family through the Barringer Crater Company. There is an admission fee charged to see the crater. The Meteor Crater Visitor Center is on the north rim. It displays a fragment of the meteorite.

The crater was made by a  a nickel-iron meteorite about 160 feet (50 meters) across.

References

Impact craters
Geography of Arizona

Barringer Crater


The New Haven EP-5 was a double-ended mercury arc rectifier electric locomotive built in 1955 by General Electric, for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. It was built to haul passenger trains between Grand Central Terminal or Penn Station in New York City and New Haven, Connecticut. The EP-5s resembled the Alco FA.

The EP-5s were the first AC passenger electric locomotives to use rectifiers to convert alternating current from overhead wires to direct current for the traction motors. They also collected DC from the third rail used by the New York Central, whose tracks the New Haven used to reach Grand Central Terminal.

All of the class were equipped with the Pennsylvania Railroad's cab signal system needed to operate into Penn Station; Washington, D.C.-Boston through trains over the Hell Gate Bridge, plus the Montrealer/Washingtonian, were their main assignment throughout their New Haven careers.

The units were known as "Jets" due to the roaring sound made by their main blowers; an example of this characteristic was inadvertently preserved for posterity in a scene shot at Grand Central Terminal, the very first moments of the movie The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.

The EP-5s had a reputation for rapid acceleration and high pulling capacity. However, the class also had a tendency to overheat and catch fire due to the crowded, poorly ventilated internal component arrangement, a situation made necessary by the need for the units to conform to the weight restrictions imposed by the New York Central's Park Avenue steel viaduct. This problem was significantly aggravated by the New Haven management's de-emphasis of electric operations in favor of its new dual-power FL9 diesels, and the railroad's financial condition. By 1962, a year after the New Haven entered bankruptcy, only three units were in service. All 10 were quickly rebuilt under the trustees' management, but by the time of the New Haven's 1969 inclusion in Penn Central, four were again out of service (and were soon scrapped). The EP-5s were rapidly replaced on Washington–Boston trains by the reliable former Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 electrics.

When the New Haven was merged into PC, the six units still in service were redesignated as the E-40 class, and were assigned to commuter train service between Grand Central Terminal and New Haven. The E-40s continued in this service, steadily dwindling in number, until May 1973 when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suddenly banned them after #4971 caught fire in the Park Avenue Tunnel; all went into dead storage. Amtrak passed them up for new electrics. Two of the units, #4973 and #4977, were rebuilt by PC into freight units, stripped of their third-rail capability, steam generators, and one of the two pantographs. They were used in a variety of light-duty freight services, but their utility was limited by their lack of multiple-unit capability and dynamic brakes. Within a year of Penn Central's inclusion into Conrail, the remaining two E-40s were retired. All were scrapped by 1979.

External links

 Model Railroading site with information about the EP5/E40s
 EP5/E40 Pictures and Info

EP-5
NH EP-5
C-C locomotives
11 kV AC locomotives
Passenger locomotives
Electric locomotives of the United States
Multi-system locomotives
Scrapped locomotives
Streamlined electric locomotives

New Haven EP-5


William "Bill" Wolman (December 14, 1927 – December 5, 2011)  was a longtime chief economist at BusinessWeek magazine, and a frequent commentator on CNBC. Journalism awards presented to Bill Wolman include the John Hancock Award, National Magazine Award, Deadline Club Award and University of Missouri Journalism Award. On CNBC, Wolman often paired with Neil Cavuto, acting as a taciturn foil to Cavutos more outspoken demeanour.

Born in Montreal, Canada, Wolman attended McGill University and went on to Stanford University to complete a Ph.D. in economics before he joined the economics staff at Business Week Magazine in 1960. He was married to the economist Anne Colamosca, with whom he often collaborated.

Bibliography
The Great 401k Hoax: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Family and Your Future; (co-authored with Anne Colamosca)
The Judas Economy: The Triumph of Capital & the Betrayal of Work (with Anne Colamosca)

External links

BusinessWeek on his retirement

1927 births
2011 deaths
American economists
CNBC people
McGill University alumni
Canadian economists
Stanford University alumni
Bloomberg L.P. people

William Wolman


The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, or the 1947 UN Partition Plan, was a plan to split the former British colony of Mandatory Palestine into two different countries adopted on 29 November 1947. It would have been split into six different regions, three belonging to the Palestinians and three to the Israelis, and Jerusalem would have been an international city shared by both countries. The Israelis accepted the plan, but the Palestinians rejected it. The plan was never put into place and this led to the 1947-1949 Palestine War.

References

1947 establishments in Asia
1947 in law
Arab–Israeli conflict
1940s in Israel
20th century in Jordan
History of Palestine
History of the United Nations