The official state language of Moldova is Romanian which is the native language of 82.2% of the population; it is also spoken as a primary language by other ethnic minorities. Gagauz, Russian, and Ukrainian languages are granted official regional status in Gagauzia and/or Transnistria.

Official language

The 1989 state language law of the former Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic declared that Moldovan, written in the Latin script, was the sole state language, intending it to serve as a primary means of communication among all citizens of the republic. The law speaks of a common Moldovan-Romanian linguistic identity. Until 1989 Moldova used the Cyrillic alphabet for writing a language that was, by that time, no different from standard Bucharest Romanian; in part of Moldova, the separatist  Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, the old script is still used in schools and on street signs. Even after shifting to the Latin alphabet, some Moldovan officials continue to insist that the designated "state language" is an east-Romance idiom somehow separate from Romanian.

In 1991, the Declaration of Independence of Moldova named the official language as Romanian.

At 9 September 1994, Academy of Sciences of Moldova confirms the reasoned scientific opinion of philologists from the Republic and abroad (approved by the decision of the Presidium of Academy of Science of Moldova of 9.09.94), according to which the correct name of the State language (official) of the Republic of Moldova is Romanian.

The 1994 Constitution of Moldova said that "the national language of the Republic of Moldova is Moldovan, and its writing is based on the Latin alphabet."

In December 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova ruled that the Declaration of Independence takes precedence over the Constitution, and the state language should be called "Romanian".

Most linguists consider literary Romanian and Moldovan to be identical, with the glottonym "Moldovan" used in certain political contexts. In 2003, the Communist government of Moldova adopted a political resolution on "National Political Conception," stating that one of its priorities was preservation of the Moldovan language. This was a continuation of Soviet-inflected political emphasis.

Since the Declaration of Independence in 1991, schools refer to this language as "Romanian" when teaching it or referring to it.

In the 2004 census, 2,564,542 people (75.8% of the population of the country) declared their native language as "Moldovan" or "Romanian"; 2,495,977 (73.8%) speak it as first language in daily use. Apart from being the first language of use for 94.5% of ethnic Moldovans and 97.6% of ethnic Romanians, the language is also spoken as primary by 5.8% of ethnic Russians, 7.7% of ethnic Ukrainians, 2.3% of ethnic Gagauz, 8.7% of ethnic Bulgarians, and 14.4% of other ethnic minorities.

The 2014 census reported an estimated 2,998,235 people (without Transnistria), out of which 2,804,801 were actually covered by the census. Among them, 2,068,068 or 73.7% declared themselves Moldovans and 192,800 or 6.9% Romanians.
 Some organisations like the Liberal party of Moldova have criticised the census results, claiming Romanians comprise 85% of the population and that census officials have pressured respondents to declare themselves Moldovans instead of Romanians and have purposefully failed to cover urban respondents who are more likely to declared themselves Romanians as opposed to Moldovans

According to the 2014 census, 2,720,377 answered to the question on "language usually used for communication". 2,138,964 people or 78.63% of the inhabitants of Moldova (proper) have Moldovan/Romanian as first language, of which 1,486,570 (53%) declared it Moldovan and 652,394 (23.3%) declared it Romanian.

However, in Chișinău, the proportion of people who declared Romanian as opposed to Moldovan is larger - 43.3% vs 33%.

On March 2, 2023, the Moldovan parliament voted in the first reading to replace the phrase "Moldovan language" with "Romanian language" in all legislation of the country. The proposed law was introduced by a group of members of the "Action and Solidarity Party" fraction. Additionally, phrases such as "official language," "state language," and "mother tongue" will also be replaced. The authors of the proposal argue that this change is necessary to implement the constitutional considerations outlined in the decisions of the Constitutional Court, which declared that the state language of the Republic of Moldova is Romanian. The bill also proposes that the National Holiday "Our Language," as it is currently referred to, be renamed "Romanian Language." The proposal passed its first reading with 56 votes in favor.

Official minority languages

Russian
Russian is one of the minority languages recognized in Moldova, and since Soviet times remains widely used on many levels of the society and the state. A policy document adopted in 2003 by the Moldovan parliament considers that "for Moldova, Moldovan-Russian bilingualism is characteristic". On 21 January 2021 the Constitutional Court declared a law passed by parliament that would have made Russian the "language for communication between ethnic communities" unconstitutional.

Russian was granted official status in Gagauzia, a region in the south of the country inhabited mostly by ethnic Gagauz, and in the breakaway region of Transnistria in the east of the country.

263,523 people, or 9.4% of the population, declared Russian as native language, and some 394,133 people, or 14.1% of the population, identified Russian as language of daily use. It is the first language for 93.2% of ethnic Russians, and a primary language for 4.9% of Moldovans, 50.0% of Ukrainians, 27.4% of Gagauz, 35.4% of Bulgarians, and 54.1% of other ethnic minorities.

Gagauz
Gagauz is an official minority language in Gagauzia, and has significant regional speaker population. A total of 114,532 people or 4.1% of the population identified Gagauz as their native language, but only 74,167 or 2.6% speak it as a first language.

Ukrainian
Ukrainian has co-official status in localities with significant Ukrainian population, and in the breakaway region of Transnistria. In the main part of the country, 186,394 people declared it native, and (of these) 107,252 or 3.8% speak it as a first language.

Foreign languages

While since the 1990s most Moldovans learn English as their first foreign language in schools, few speak it at a sufficiently advanced level to be able to communicate and understand it freely. Sometimes French, Italian, or Spanish are taught first. These languages are often used by Moldovan expats and working migrants in other countries, including France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Usually the migrants learn the new languages after arriving in a new country. The expatriates and working migrants in Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, and Germany have learned those countries' respective languages. Speakers of Portuguese, Greek, Turkish, and German live in Moldova.

Moldovans of older and middle generations are generally bilingual in Romanian and Russian, due to the long influence of and trade with the Soviet Union. Many Moldovan expatriates and migrant workers live and work in Russia. Many of the younger generation in Moldova, however, may not know this language well enough to be able to communicate in writing or to have a sophisticated conversation. Children study Russian one hour per week in school.

See also
2004 Moldovan census
2014 Moldovan census
Culture of Moldova

References

Languages of Moldova


The Capital Jury Project (CJP) is a consortium of university-based research studies on the decision-making of jurors in death penalty cases in the United States. It was founded in 1991 and is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of the CJP is to determine whether jurors' sentencing decisions conform to the constitution and do not reflect the arbitrary decisions the United States Supreme Court found when it ruled the death penalty unconstitutional in Furman v. Georgia. That 1972 Supreme Court decision eliminated the death penalty, which was not reinstated until Gregg v. Georgia in 1976.

In 1987, the Supreme Court ruled in McCleskey v. Kemp that statistics showed that blacks in Georgia were more likely to be sentenced to death than whites, but concluded that the evidence of specific racial discrimination in McCleskey's case was lacking so McCleskey's death sentence was not unconstitutional. However, this decision raised the issue of whether the problem of arbitrary or racist death penalties has been resolved.

Protocol
The CJP is a continuing research program. Its findings are based on a standard protocol of in-depth interviews with past jurors in capital punishment trials. The interviews seek to identify the jury decision-making throughout a trial and identify the ways in which jurors make their sentencing decisions. The CJP was expanded to examine the role played by jurors' race in making death penalty decisions.

This work represents a significant advance over prior studies of jury behavior, most of which have been conducted on samples of students who simulated jury behavior in mock trials. Data collection for CJP is being gathered in the states that have the most variation in death penalty sentencing. Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia were chosen for in-depth juror interviews. As of October 2007, 1198 jurors from 353 capital trials in 14 states have been interviewed.

Findings
Weighing factors in a death penalty case and making a decision "beyond a reasonable doubt" is a complex task with many complicating factors and weighted with moral responsibility. Trials are conducted using legal terms that the jury may not understand. Jurors may be uncertain about their alternatives in making decisions.

Expert witnesses
The first important paper on the findings of the CJP so far documents that jurors do not rely on expert testimony to evaluate the defendant's dangerousness but are influenced by expert testimony regarding the defendant's mental illness and mental instability. Jurors accept that mental health professionals have expertise on issues of mental illness and tend to accept expert testimony on the subject. However, expert testimony on the potential dangerousness of the defendant was not related to jury opinion. On these issue it appears that jurors rely on common sense since there is no evidence that experts of any kind can predict dangerousness and jurors disregard expert testimony accordingly.

Race
The findings also show that race is a significant factor. If the defendant is white, the jury is more likely to evaluate him as mentally unstable than if he were black. Also, the jury was more likely to see the defendant as dangerous if the victim were white.  Some admit overtly to racial prejudice and some voice seemingly unwitting racially prejudiced beliefs.  As noted below, the race of the victim plays a substantial role in whether the jury finds mitigating factors that would allow a lesser sentence than the death penalty.

Mitigating factors
One review of the CJP data showed that jurors who were asked a hypothetical question regarding how much certain mitigating factors would influence their sentencing decisions were true, 56.2 percent of the jurors would consider a lesser sentence than death if a history of mental illness was presented as a mitigating factor and 73.6 percent would do so if evidence of mental retardation were presented. However, another review of the data showed the race of the victim had a substantial effect on jury failure to find mitigating factors. If the victim were white there was more failure to find mitigating factors.

Jury instructions
There is evidence from the study that jurors are confused or misled by the judge's instructions to the jury. Jurors often appear to make decisions from personal experience and personal moral guidelines instead. Findings from jurors interviewed show that 50% of the jurors admit to making death penalty decisions before the death penalty phase of the trial has begun, and 45% did not understand that they could consider any mitigating evidence during the penalty phase, not just the factors listed in the judge's instructions.

In fact, one researcher says that the pattern emerging from the CJP data is that jurors have serious misconceptions about the death penalty process, leading to confusion that produces a bias in favor of the death penalty, and concludes that the CJP research indicates that the jury decision making process is so flawed that it violated constitutional principles.

See also
Ultimate issue

Footnotes

External links
Capital Punishment Research Initiative
Death Penalty Information Center
Against Capital Punishment: The Anti-Death Penalty Movement in American 1972–1994
The Capital Jury and Empathy: The Problem of Worthy and Unworthy Victims
Study challenges juvenile death penalty

Forensic psychology
Research projects
Prison-related organizations
Criminal justice
Capital punishment in the United States
1991 establishments in the United States
Projects established in 1991

Capital Jury Project


Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corresponds to commanding a section or squad of soldiers.

The word is a contraction from the medieval Italian phrase  ( [of soldiers]). While most Indo-European languages use the contraction, West Iberian languages use .

By country

Argentina
NCOs in the Argentine Armed Forces are divided into junior and senior NCOs, with three and four ranks, respectively. The three junior ranks are called "corporal" (cabo) in both the Navy and the Air Force, while in the Army the third rank is called "sergeant" (sargento).

National Gendarmerie and Coast Guard junior NCOs ranks are similar to those in the Army and Navy, respectively.

Australia
Corporal is the second lowest of the non-commissioned officer ranks in the Australian Army, falling between lance-corporal and sergeant. A corporal is usually appointed as a section commander, and is in charge of 7–14 soldiers of private rank. They are assisted by a second-in-command, usually a lance-corporal or senior private. A Corporal within Artillery is known as a bombardier. Corporal is also a rank of the Royal Australian Air Force, being equal to both the Australian Army and Royal Air Force rank of corporal.

Bangladesh
Corporal is a non-commissioned officer rank in the Bangladesh Army, falling between lance-corporal and sergeant, and in the Bangladesh Air Force, falling between leading aircraftman and sergeant.

Belgium
The branches of the Belgian Armed Forces use three ranks of corporal: corporal (, ), master corporal (, ) and 1st master corporal (, ). Corporal is equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-3, whereas master corporal and 1st master corporal are equivalent to OR-4. The rank immediately below corporal is 1st private and the rank directly above 1st master corporal is sergeant.

Units with a cavalry, artillery or Logistic Corps (Transport unit) tradition replace Corporal by "Brigadier".

The equivalent of these ranks in the Naval Component are quartermaster, chief quartermaster and 1st chief quartermaster.

Belarus

The Byelorussian Home Defence (February 23, 1944 – April 28, 1945) used the kapral (), in the meaning of Corporal as enlisted grade, equivalent to Obergefreiter, Hauptgefreiter or Stabsgefreiter of the German Wehrmacht (1933-1945).

Brazil
Corporal (in Portuguese cabo) is the first NCO rank of the Army, Navy, Air Force and states military police forces. Soldiers who successfully complete the corporal course may be promoted to the rank of corporal should they excel in the course. A corporal in the Brazilian Army will lead the smallest fractions of units as machine gun squads, mortar and infantry squads.

Canada
Corporal is an Army and Air Force non-commissioned member rank of the Canadian Armed Forces. Its naval equivalent is sailor 1st class. It is senior to the rank of private and its naval equivalent sailor 2nd class, and junior to master corporal (caporal-chef) and its equivalent master sailor (matelot-chef). It is part of the cadre of junior non-commissioned officers, and one of the junior ranks. In French, the rank is caporal.

The rank insignia of a corporal is a two-bar chevron, point down, worn in gold thread on both upper sleeves of the service dress jacket; in rifle green (army) or dark blue (air force) thread on CADPAT slip-ons for operational dress; in old gold thread on blue slip-ons on other air force uniforms; and in gold metal and green enamel miniature pins on the collars of the army dress shirt and outerwear coats. On army ceremonial uniforms, it is usually rendered in gold braid (black for rifle regiments), on either both sleeves, or just the right, depending on unit custom.

Corporal is the first non-commissioned officer rank, and the lowest rank officially empowered to issue a lawful command. Corporals can lead troops if they have the formal qualifications to be promoted to master corporal but have not been promoted yet. However, the rank of corporal was severely downgraded after Unification, along with the attendant responsibilities. A corporal in the Canadian Army in 1967 had the same duties and responsibilities that a sergeant has today. In an infantry section, a corporal will sometimes command an assault team if a master corporal is leading the section or they are pending promotion to master corporal.

Another effect of Unification was to delete the appointments of lance-corporal and lance-sergeant (a corporal holding the acting rank of sergeant). The former is still common in other Commonwealth militaries.

Corporal is deemed to be the substantive rank of the members carrying the appointment of master corporal. On pay documents, corporal was formerly listed as "Cpl (A)" and master corporal as "Cpl (B)".

In rifle regiments, a distinction was historically drawn between a corporal and an acting corporal; The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada had a special insignia to distinguish between the two.

Chile
In the Army, Navy, Air Force and Police, there are three grades of Corporal: Corporal, Corporal 2nd. and Corporal 1st. The next level is Sergeant 2nd. grade.

France
There are three ranks of corporal (). In the French Army, these are not NCO ranks, but enlisted ones. The corporals are called "ranked" (). Non-commissioned officers start at the rank of .

In regiments with a cavalry tradition, using white insigna, and artillery,  is used instead.

India

These ranks are still used in the Indian Air Force. it is a rank given to an airman who is senior to leading aircraftman but junior to a sergeant. A corporal is designated as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the Indian Air Force.

Indonesia

In the Indonesian Military, the rank "Corporal" is known as . In Indonesia, "Corporal" has three levels, which are: Second Corporal (Lance Corporal), First Corporal (Corporal), and Master Corporal.

Ireland

Corporal () is the lowest rank of non-commissioned officer within the Irish Army and Air Corps. The Naval Service equivalent is leading seaman.

Army
The main role of an infantry corporal is either to command a section as the section commander or to command the fire support group as the second in command of the section. All corporals are qualified instructors on drill, section weapons, and fieldcraft.

In the Artillery Corps, the corporal is normally assigned to a gun detachment as a layer, or a detachment commander. Artillery corporals can also find themselves in charge of the battery signals section.

The army rank insignia consists of two winged chevrons (or "stripes"), the dress uniform being red chevrons with a yellow border.

Air Corps
Before 1994, the Air Corps was considered part of the army and wore army uniforms with distinct corps badges but the same rank insignia. With the introduction of a unique Air Corps blue uniform in 1994, the same rank markings in a white colour were worn, before the introduction of a new two-chevron badge with wing rank marking.

Italy
A soldier could be promoted from private (soldato) to corporal rank (caporale) after 3 months of service until 2014, now they have to pass a selection to be promoted to corporal. The title was used as a senior office in the Italian Kingdom during World War II.

New Zealand
The New Zealand Defence Force awards the corporal rank to soldiers or airmen after 6 or 7 years of service. There is substantial responsibility on the part of a corporal in the New Zealand Army and Royal New Zealand Air Force. They usually command a small team and work closely with their sergeants. A pay increase is also given.

Like their British, Canadian and Australian counterparts, they wear two chevrons to distinguish their rank.

Corporals have what is termed 'power of arrest', and is impressed on recruits in RNZAF basic training. Basically, this power means that any airman or private disobeying or ignoring an order from a corporal will be subject to military arrest by that individual. Power of arrest is used by higher ranks to enforce their orders, corporal in the RNZAF being the lowest rank with this power.

Pakistan
These ranks are still used in the Pakistan Air Force. it is a rank given to an airman who is senior to leading aircraftsman but junior to a sergeant.

Philippines
In the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the rank Corporal is locally called as Kabo. It is currently being used by both the Philippine Army and the Philippine Marine Corps. It stand above the rank of private first class and below sergeant.

The Philippine Revolutionary Army also used corporal as part of their ranks during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. It is the lowest enlisted personnel rank on the service, below the rank of sergeant.

As of February 8, 2019, a new ranking classification for the Philippine National Police was adopted, eliminating confusion of old ranks. The rank of corporal is included on the new ranking classification. It is the second from the bottom, placing above the rank of Patrolman and below police staff sergeant.

Poland
In the Polish Land Forces, the rank of  is the lowest rank in the NCO corps (OR-3 in NATO code). Most commonly the rank is held by a NCO commanding an infantry squad, tank or gun crew, or a similar unit. The equivalent rank in the Polish Navy is .

As with many other military ranks, direct comparison between various armies might be misleading. Before World War II, the Polish Army's  was more or less equivalent to the British rank of lance corporal, while the British rank of corporal was named  (lit. platooner). In modern times, the rank is still equivalent to a UK lance corporal or a private first class in the U.S. Army (OR-3), while the British and American rank of corporal (OR-4) is equivalent to the Polish rank of  (lit. "senior corporal"), which was introduced in 1971.

Historically, the rank was first introduced in Poland in the 17th century, together with mercenary troops of Italian origin. In foreign troops on the royal payroll, a  commanded four ranks of musketeers or part of a company of pikemen. In the 20th century, between the world wars, the rank of corporal was held by both conscripted NCOs and professional soldiers alike. This was changed after World War II, when the Polish Army was under Soviet command and the rank of  was modified to resemble that of Soviet junior sergeant, reserved for conscripted NCOs. In the modern Polish Army, the rank is exclusively reserved for professional soldiers.

The insignia of  (worn on shoulder straps or badge above breast pocket) are two bars.

Portugal
The Portuguese Navy has the rank of  (corporal of the Navy). All other branches of the Portuguese Armed Forces have several ranks of corporal ( in Portuguese). The Portuguese Army and the Portuguese Air Force have the ranks of  (second corporal),  (first corporal) and  (corporal adjudant). The National Republican Guard has the ranks of  (corporal),  (chief corporal) and  (corporal-major).

The several ranks of corporal correspond to the several pay grades, above that of private, that can be reached inside the enlisted rank professional category of the Army, the Air Force and the National Republican Guard. In the Navy, the rank of  is the highest pay grade in the enlisted rank category.

Russia
The rank of corporal () existed in the Russian Army from 1647 to 1798, when it was replaced with that of non-commissioned officer (, from , literally "sub-officer"). Soviet and modern Russian armies have the rank of "" (derived from the German ) as the highest rank of enlisted personnel, below lance (or junior) sergeant () which are assigned as squad leaders.

Singapore

Singapore Armed Forces
The Corporal rank in the Singapore Armed Forces is between the rank of Lance Corporal and Corporal First Class. National Servicemen are usually promoted to this rank within the 2nd year of their service.

Prior to 1992, the SAF followed the British model where corporals were non-commissioned officers often holding the appointment of section leader. Today, a corporal is not a specialist (NCO-equivalent). Corporals are usually given higher responsibilities/ appointments as a section 2IC, or 2nd-in-command.

Home Team
In the Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Singapore Prison Service, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and Singapore Customs, a corporal is a rank below sergeant.

The rank insignia for a corporal is two chevrons pointing downwards.

Uniformed youth organisations
For the National Cadet Corps (NCC), the rank of Corporal is below the rank of Third Sergeant, and above the rank of Lance Corporal. For the National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) and the National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC), the rank of Corporal is below the rank of Sergeant, and above the rank of Lance Corporal.

For NCC, the rank insignia is same as that of an SAF CPL, except that the letters 'NCC' are below the insignia, so as to differentiate NCC cadets from SAF personnel. As for NPCC and NCDCC, the rank insignia is two pointed-down chevrons with the letters 'NPCC' and 'NCDCC' below the insignia, so as to differentiate NPCC and NCDCC cadets from Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force personnel, respectively.

The rank of Corporal is generally awarded to cadets in Secondary Two, or Secondary Three. Corporals, after being appointed, are given training to command a squad.

Spain
In the Spanish Armed Forces,  (corporal) is the rank between  (first class private) and  (first corporal). It actually equates to a NATO OR-3, with  equating to an OR-4 and  to an OR-5.

Ukraine
Since 2015, the Corporal (), was introduced in the National Police of Ukraine, that is a special rank of junior quarterdeck. It corresponds to former junior sergeant of militia. Also since 2018–19, the Corporal () was introduced in the Court Security Service (), and the DBR () as a special rank of junior quarterdeck.

United Kingdom
The rank of corporal, which falls between lance-corporal and sergeant is used by the British Army, Royal Marines, and Royal Air Force.

The badge of rank is a two-bar chevron (also known as "stripes", "tapes", or "hooks"). A corporal's role varies between regiments; but, in the standard infantry role, a corporal commands a section, with a lance-corporal as second-in-command (2ic). When the section is split into fire teams, they command one each. In the Royal Armoured Corps, a corporal commands an individual tank. Their duties therefore largely correspond to those of staff sergeants in the United States Army and corporals are often described as the "backbone" of the British Army.

In the Household Cavalry, all non-commissioned ranks are designated as different grades of corporal up to regimental corporal major (who is a warrant officer class 1). There is no effective actual rank of corporal, however, and the ranks progress directly from lance-corporal to lance-corporal of horse (who is effectively equivalent to a corporal; technically, a lance-corporal of horse holds the rank of corporal but is automatically give the appointment of lance-corporal of horse). Similarly, in the Foot Guards and in the Honourable Artillery Company, every Corporal is appointed as a lance-sergeant meaning they wear three chevrons rather than the regular two, with a lance-corporal wearing two chevrons instead of one: this is sometimes said to have originated with Queen Victoria who did not like "her own guardsmen" having only one chevron.

Royal Artillery corporals are called bombardiers; although, until 1920, the Royal Artillery had corporals and bombardier was a lower rank. The rank of second corporal existed in the Royal Engineers and Royal Army Ordnance Corps until 1920.

A common nickname for a corporal is a "full screw", with lance-corporals being known as "lance-jacks".

Corporal is the lowest NCO rank in the Royal Air Force (aside from the RAF Regiment who have lance-corporals), coming between junior technician or Senior aircraftman technician and sergeant in the technical trades, or senior aircraftman and sergeant in the non-technical trades. Between 1950 and 1964, corporals in technical trades were known as "corporal technicians" and wore their chevrons point up.

In the Royal Navy, the equivalent to corporal is leading hand or leading rate.

The Army Cadet Force, Combined Cadet Force, Air Training Corps, Royal Marines sections of the Sea Cadet Corps and the Combined Cadet Force all have the rank of corporal, reflecting the structure of their parent service; therefore it is the second NCO rank of the ACF, CCF (including the RAF Section, which has the rank of lance corporal) and marine cadets, and the first NCO rank in the ATC.

United States

United States Army
In the U.S. Army, corporal is preceded by the first three forms of private and the rank of specialist. A corporal rank shares the same pay grade (E-4) as a specialist. Unlike a specialist, however, a corporal is a non-commissioned officer and may direct the activities of other soldiers.

The rank of corporal dates to the Revolutionary War. Each company in the Continental Army contained an enlisted contingent of a sergeant, corporal, and nineteen privates. The corporal, along with the superior sergeant, were responsible for the care, discipline, and training of their men. After the Civil War, U.S. Army infantry strategy increasingly focused on units below the company level. In 1891, a squad was defined as an eight-man unit led by a corporal, a definition which held through World War I until the eve of the U.S. entry into World War II.

In 1940, with the recognition of the increasing importance of small-unit tactics, the size of the squad was increased to twelve men, now led by a sergeant, with a corporal as assistant squad leader. In February 1944, the squad leader became a staff sergeant, assisted by a sergeant, dropping the corporal from the infantry company's chain of command. As a result of this "steady inflation" of the NCO corps, writes historian Ernest F. Fisher, "the rank of corporal came to mean very little in a line organization, though the corporal was in theory and by tradition a combat leader." After the Korean War, squad leaders were further promoted to sergeant first class (E-7), and the "once-honored rank of corporal sank into oblivion."

Beginning in July 2021, specialists who are graduates of the Basic Leader Course (BLC) and who have been recommended for promotion are to become corporals before further promotion; conversely current corporals who have not yet graduated from BLC will be laterally reassigned as specialists until they have graduated from BLC. No change in pay is involved, but corporals are expected to lead, teach, and mentor their teams.

United States Marine Corps

Corporal is the fourth enlisted rank in the U.S. Marine Corps, ranking immediately above lance corporal and immediately below sergeant. The Marine Corps, unlike the Army, has no other rank at the pay grade of E-4. Corporal is the lowest grade of non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, though promotion to corporal traditionally confers a significant jump in authority and responsibility compared to promotion from private through lance corporal. Marine infantry corporals generally serve as "fire-team leaders", leading a four-man team or weapons crew of similar size (e.g., assault weapons squad, medium machine gun team, or LWCMS mortar squad).

In practice, however, the billet of fire team leader is generally held by a lance corporal, while corporals serve in the squad leader billet that would normally be held by a sergeant (E-5) in infantry units. In support units, corporals generally serve in "journeyman" level roles in which they direct the activities of junior Marines and provide technical supervision, on a very limited scope, under the direct supervision of a sergeant or SNCO.

Due to its emphasis on small-unit tactics, its infantry-centric ethos, and its tradition of empowering junior NCOs to exercise first-level leadership, the U.S. Marine Corps' Tables of Organization (TOs) usually places corporals (as well as sergeants and staff sergeants) in billets where other services would normally have higher ranking NCOs in authority. For example, the USMC Table of Organization "billet" rank for rifle fire team leader, rifle squad leader, and rifle platoon sergeant is corporal (E-4), sergeant (E-5), and staff sergeant (E-6), respectively. However, the same positions (Table of Organization and Equipment "slots") in US Army infantry units are one grade higher and, except in fire teams (both services with four men in each team), the equivalent Army units are smaller (viz., USMC rifle squad and rifle platoon – 13 men and 43 men, respectively, vice US Army rifle squad and rifle platoon – 9 men and 34 men, respectively). Specifically, for the Army rifle units, the rank of the fire team, squad leader, and platoon sergeant are: sergeant (E-5), staff sergeant (E-6), and sergeant first class (E-7), respectively. Similarly, the term "strategic corporal" refers to the special responsibilities conferred upon a Marine corporal over against the normal responsibilities, and usual authority, of service members in the grade of E-4 in the other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Until the mid-to-late 1980s, corporals were the lowest USMC rank eligible for selection as a drill instructor for USMC recruit training.

The history of the rank of corporal in the USMC roughly parallels that of the U.S. Army until 1942. From 1775 until WWII, the Marine Corps used essentially the same rank and organizational structure as its common British and colonial forebears with the Army, as well as the later Continental and U.S. armies. In 1942, as the Army modified its triangular division infantry organization to best fight in the European/North African/Middle Eastern Theatre the Marine Corps began modifying the triangular division plan to best employ its amphibious warfare doctrine in the Pacific Theatre. This meant that for the Corps, squad leaders would remain as sergeants and that the rifle squad would be sub-divided into three four-man fire teams each led by a corporal.

NATO code
While the rank is used in a number of NATO countries, it is ranked differently depending on the country.

Gallery

See also
 Korporal
 Lance corporal
 Corporal first class
 Corporal of the field
 Master corporal
 Corporal of horse
 Staff corporal
 Corporal Jackie
 List of comparative military ranks

References

External links

Military ranks
Military ranks of Australia
Military ranks of Canada
Military ranks of Ireland
Military ranks of Singapore
Military ranks of the British Army
Military ranks of the United States Army
Military ranks of the United States Marine Corps
United States military enlisted ranks
Military ranks of the Royal Air Force
Military ranks of the Royal Marines

Corporal


The ALS Society of Canada is a registered, not-for-profit Canadian organization. ALS Canada, founded in 1977, is a national voluntary health organization dedicated to the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and to providing support for those living with ALS.

ALS Canada is committed to supporting research towards a cure for ALS, supporting the provincial ALS societies in their provision of quality care for persons living with ALS, and building public awareness of ALS and its impact.

Research

The mission of the ALS Society of Canada is to fund research for a cure for ALS.

Since 2000, ALS Canada has been one of the partners of the Neuromuscular Research Partnership (NRP), which is a collaboration between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC) and ALS Canada. The NRP makes grants available for research into the causes, treatments, and ultimately the cure for neuromuscular disorders.

ALS Canada is currently funding a national clinical trial, which aims to confirm the effectiveness of lithium in slowing the progression of ALS in patients in the early stages of the disease. At nearly $1,000,000, the lithium trial is ALS Canada's largest research investment to date. The lithium trial is being conducted by a consortium of ALS clinicians in Canada called the Canadian ALS Clinical Trials and Research Network (CALS). The trial is the first joint effort between CALS and the Northeastern ALS Consortium (NEALS) in the United States.

Support for provincial ALS societies
The ALS Society of Canada works with the provincial ALS Societies, which develop local chapters and support groups and provide direct support to people with ALS, their families and caregivers. The provincial societies also offer information and referrals, and support for those affected by ALS. They manage equipment programs and engage in advocacy for people with ALS, their families, physicians and health-care providers.

ALS Society of Ontario
The ALS Society of Ontario is a non-profit organization in the Canadian province of Ontario that provides support and assistance to people diagnosed with ALS, their friends and families. It was founded in 1988 by an affiliation of ALS Society of Canada chapters in Toronto, Hamilton, London, Ottawa, and Windsor. The Toronto chapter seceded after a year to form the ALS Society of Toronto and Area; in 2004, it rejoined the Ontario society as a regional organization.

Public awareness

Raising awareness of ALS is a key program of the ALS Society of Canada and its provincial partners.

June is ALS awareness month in Canada. Throughout the provinces, public awareness and fundraising campaigns are carried out, such as golf tournaments and the WALK for ALS, which takes place in more than 78 communities across the nation. Canadians also show their support by planting blue cornflowers, the ALS Canada emblem flower, in their gardens.

In 2008, ALS Canada launched a Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign to educate the public and increase awareness of ALS in the general population. The campaign consists of two 30- and 60-second television spots, in English and French, called "Head and Shoulders", and a series of three English and French print advertisements, called "No Signal".

Other initiatives

In 2006, ALS Canada launched an initiative called als411 to help children and teens cope with ALS in their family. This was followed in 2008 by the creation of the als411 website, which has separate sub-sites for younger children and teens in both English and French.  Each sub-site offers interactive components that provide age-appropriate education about ALS, personal stories, and additional resources for information and coping as well as a social networking link on the teen sites.

See also
 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
 ALS Association

References

External links
 ALS Society of Canada official website

Health charities in Canada
Medical and health organizations based in Ontario
Neurology organizations
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

ALS Society of Canada


Stucco is a kind of plasterwork used to decorate ceilings and other parts of buildings. It is made of aggregates, binder and water. These days its main constituent is Portland cement, sand, inorganic lime (a hydroxide mineral, not the fruit) and water. It is applied wet and dries hard.

The same substance is often called plaster and sometimes mortar.  It has been used for hundreds of years in many cultures round the world.

Building materials

Stucco


Peter Frank Patrick Watson (born 23 April 1943) is a British intellectual historian and former journalist, now perhaps best known for his work in the history of ideas. His journalistic work includes detailed investigations of auction houses and the international market in stolen antiquities.

Early life

Watson attended Cheltenham Grammar School. He graduated in Psychology from Durham in 1964. He subsequently earned a scholarship to study for a diploma in music at La Sapienza and then completed a doctorate at the University of London.

Career

Journalism (1969-1982)
After university Watson trained as a psychologist at the Tavistock Clinic in London under R. D. Laing, but left this profession in the late 1960s after becoming dissatisfied with Freudian theories. Having given up psychology he settled into a career in journalism and edited the first incarnation of Race Today, a journal launched in 1969 by the Institute of Race Relations think-tank. He worked at New Society from 1970 to 1973, eventually serving as deputy editor, and was for four years a member of the Insight team at The Sunday Times.

While working for The Sunday Times he published the book, War on the Mind: The Military Uses and Abuses of Psychology, which revealed psychological research carried out by various military forces in the Cold War period. This book, Watson's first, had its roots in a 1973 assignment from the Insight team to look into the uses of psychological warfare by the British Army in Northern Ireland during the height of The Troubles. As part of his research Watson visited the Fort Bragg army base in North Carolina, which convinced him that military psychology was more advanced than he had previously imagined. Later, he briefly moved his career to America, where he was New York correspondent of The Times from 1981 to 1982.

Exposing the art trade

His 1984 book, The Caravaggio Conspiracy, is based on his experience going undercover with the Carabinieri to investigate the theft of a Caravaggio painting, the Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence, which had been stolen in 1969 from the Oratorio di San Lorenzo in Palermo. Watson conceived the idea for a book on stolen antiquities in 1979, while the printers of The Sunday Times were on strike and the owners suspended publication for 11 months, giving himself and other writers time to pursue personal projects. He concluded the Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence was most likely stolen by members of Cosa Nostra. Although unsuccessful in recovering the painting that was the focus of the book, he did manage to obtain six other stolen works.

Watson would later return to the art world as a subject in Sotheby's: The Inside Story (1998). The book accused Sotheby's of selling antiquities it knew to have been stolen. In an interview with Noah Charney for The Daily Beast, he related that the investigation had so damaged Sotheby's reputation that people he knew in the London art world wouldn't speak to him for years afterwards. In a 2000 article for the New Statesman he argued that forgeries in the antiquities trade remained a serious problem, with fake ancient artefacts even making their way into major museums, aided by curators who knew little of archaeology and were liable to be hoodwinked by corrupt dealers.

A third expose of the art world, The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities, from Italy's Tomb Raiders to the World's Greatest Museums, which he co-wrote with Cecilia Todeschini, was published in 2006. The book detailed the criminal career of Italian art dealer, Giacomo Medici, and his several decades spent supplying museum with illegally excavated and smuggled antiquities. Watson had given evidence at the trial of Medici. Watson and Todeschini were criticised by Hugh Eakin in the New York Review of Books for failing to speak to any of the defendants in the Medici investigation, including former J. Paul Getty Museum curator Marion True - although Watson claimed that none of the defendants would talk, forcing him to rely on documents given to him by the Italian investigators.

Later career

Between 1997 and 2007, Watson was a research associate at the Illicit Antiquities Research Centre, part of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge. In 2009 he took part in an Intelligence Squared debate in Hong Kong. Alongside the archaeologist Colin Renfrew he spoke against the motion 'Cultural Treasures Belong in Their Country of Origin'. He has published thirteen books, including The German Genius, published by Simon & Schuster in 2010.

Personal

Watson is an atheist, and is particularly critical of monotheism. He has argued that psychotherapy has become a substitute for religion, and that people more often seek therapy as a way to find meaning in their lives than to treat mental illness. He is a member of the Reform Club and describes himself as a Social Democrat politically.

Bibliography

   (Published in the United States as "The Age of Atheists: How We Have Sought to Live Since the Death of God").

References

External links
 A video featuring Peter Watson at Durham University's Institute of Advanced Study (Durham), titled The Enchantment of Ideas, can be found here.
 Another video featuring Peter Watson giving a lecture in New York on the theft of antiquities can be found here.

1943 births
British historians
British male journalists
Living people
Intellectual historians
Alumni of University College, Durham
British investigative journalists
Sapienza University of Rome alumni
British social democrats

Peter Watson (intellectual historian)


Wijerd Jelckama (1490 – July 7 1523) was a Frisian freedom fighter, legendary warrior, warlord, rebel and pirate.

Early life and family
Jelckama was born in the year 1490 in a large family of farmers and petty noblemen. He was descended from knights who had participated in the Crusades. One of his ancestors from his father's side of the family had died at the Siege of Antioch.

Jelckama was married to a woman by the name of Fokel, the exact year of their marriage is unknown. She survived for longer than her husband but died in 1553. They had two daughters and a son. Their son was named Janco Douwes Jelckama (1514-1587)and their daughters were named Bonga (1516-1575) and Fokel (1517-1546).

Grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Jelckama are known.
A great-granddaughter who died in 1625 probably ended Jelckama's official bloodline.

Rebellion
Together with Pier Gerlofs Donia, Jelckama fought against the Saxon warriors that occupied their homeland of Frisia, at the capture of Medemblik, and in the siege of Middelburg castle.

Jelckama served as Donia's lieutenant for the first five years. After Donia had died in 1520, Jelckama took over the command of the armies. He had been the commander of the Arumer Black Heap and the main leader of the Frisian rebellion against the House of Habsburg since as early as 1519.

Strength
Author Wopke Eekhoff described Jelckama as being as sturdy as his giant uncle, who was himself reportedly at least 7 feet tall and once lifted a 1000-pound horse above his head.
Jelckama himself was strong enough to lift a horse over his shoulders high up in the air. His height is documented at 7 feet.

Death
After a series of defeats, he and what was left of the Frisian army were captured in 1523 and taken to the city of Leeuwarden in Frisia. There they were executed. The execution took place in public. It took the executioner four blows to sever Jelckama's head from his extremely thick neck.

With the death of Jelckama and the rebels, the independence of Frisia came to an end. It was the last successful revolt in Frisian history and is remembered as such to this day.

Notes and references

1490 births
1523 deaths
Dutch military people
People executed by decapitation
People from Friesland
Pirates

Wijerd Jelckama


Recovery Road is a novel for teenagers by author Blake Nelson. The book is centered on a teenager, Maddie Graham, at the rehab center, Spring Meadows, and how she overcomes her addiction to alcohol and drugs. The book shows how Maddie transforms herself from a drug-obsessed and alcohol-addicted teen to a mature young woman who ends up going to university and developing a sober life.

Recovery Road has recently been adapted into a TV drama of the same name which debuted in 2016 on the Freeform network, which is the successor to the ABC Family network.

Plot summary
Madeline (or Maddie) Graham is starting junior year in rehab. She hates the losers surrounding her, except fellow rehab friend, Trish. Soon, the two are escaping the halfway house every Tuesday to go to the movies with other recovering addicts. There, Madeline meets Stewart, another recovering addict, and the two teens are immediately drawn together. What follows is a story about being in love while trying to survive sobriety. Eventually, the two are released from rehab and must return to their previous lives; for Madeline that means returning to school and her old friends and routines. Her struggle to stay sober and find a new path is realistic and the strength of the story. Her relationship with Stewart, though, has the expected narrative ups and downs. When a tragedy strikes, Madeline is left to figure out what she really wants from life and how Stewart fits into her plans. Soon, Maddie discovers that she has lost so much in life because of drugs and she begins to take school more seriously. She graduates and gets into the University of Massachusetts, where she studies English and literature. Maddie cannot forget Stewart, but still decides to move on with her life and begins to date other boys, including a smart and handsome young man named Simon, whom she begins to like more and more. Then, about two years after she saw Stewart last, she finds him living on the streets as a junkie. She tries to help him, but he runs away, swearing at her and telling her to leave him alone. Finally, Maddie has to go back to U Mass. Maddie still keeps Stewart, her old Stewart, inside her heart and waits for him to come back to her one day.

Awards
 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011
 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers 2011

References

American young adult novels
Novels by Blake Nelson
2011 American novels
American novels adapted into television shows
Scholastic Corporation books
Novels about drugs

Recovery Road


William Zephania Davis (June 10, 1839 – December 17, 1923) was a Republican politician in the U.S. State of Ohio who was an Ohio Supreme Court Judge 1900–1912.

Davis was born in Loydsville, Belmont County, Ohio to Dr. Bushrod Washington Davis and Harriet (née Hatcher) Davis. He was educated in the public schools and a private academy. He was a long term member of the American Microscopical Society. During the American Civil War, Davis served a three-month enlistment in the 4th Ohio Infantry, and afterward in the 96th Ohio Infantry, until disabled and honorably discharged in the Vicksburg Campaign.

Davis was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice after recovering from war injuries. He worked in the State and Federal courts. Davis was nominated by the Republican Party for Supreme Court Justice in June, 1899, and elected in November of that year. Joseph Perry Bradbury resigned from the Court January 9, 1900, and Davis was appointed the next day to fill the seat by Governor Nash. He entered his elected term February 9, 1900, and served until the end of 1912.

After retiring from the court, Davis had a private practice in Columbus from 1913 to 1921. He died in Columbus December 17, 1923, and was buried at Marion Cemetery in Marion, Ohio.

Davis was married to Harriet Search of Marion on August 3, 1868. They raised two daughters, and another died in childhood. Harriet died August 2, 1901, and Davis married Jessie Myer of Columbus September 2, 1903. They had no children.

Davis was a charter member Lodge 402 of the Knights of Pythias, and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Marion and Columbus.

See also
List of justices of the Ohio Supreme Court

Notes

References

Bibliography

Ohio lawyers
Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
Ohio Republicans
People from Belmont County, Ohio
1839 births
People of Ohio in the American Civil War
1923 deaths
19th-century American lawyers

William Z. Davis


The Chevrolet Uplander was a minivan sold by the Chevrolet division of General Motorsf(GM)rom 2005-2009. The minivan replaced both the Venture minivan and the truck designed Astro. 2005 was the only model year for all-wheel drive this is due to the engine changing to a 3L V6 enging. GM said the AWD could not handle the torque. The Uplander was considered an imprpvement over its predecessor. It earned a Good in the IIHS' offset test and a Poor in side impact tests (without air bags, with air bags it earned an acceptable). While it was initially a decent seller compared to the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna the Uplander's sales were poor. In 2008 GM announced that it would shut down Doraville Assembly which manufactured the minivans and decided to focus on crossover SUVs and introduced the Traverse.

Minivans

Chevrolet Uplander


Anarkali Bazaar or Anarkali Market is an old style market in Lahore, Pakistan.

The name and origins
The word 'Anarkali' means 'Pomegranate Blossom'. According to a legend, this was the name of a beautiful dancing-girl. She fell in love with the Mughal prince Selim (who later became the Emperor Jahangir). But the prince's father, the old Emperor Akbar, did not like the girl. So he had the girl arrested and punished. She died and was buried near a bazaar or market. Later, when prince Selim became Emperor he named the bazaar after her. Today, there is an old tomb near there. Jahangir built it in 1615. People say this is the tomb of the real Anarkali, but no one is certain. Another famous tomb near Anarkali Bazaar is Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak's tomb

The bazaar today
Today, the Anarkali Bazaar is one of the best shopping areas in all of South Asia. Women love to go there because it has excellent clothes, shoes and jewelry shops. There are some nice places to eat there, too. It is open most days from 9 in the morning to 11 at night. There are always many lights and music playing there. There is also a lot of traffic.

References

Buildings and structures in Lahore

Anarkali Bazaar


Linden Joseph MacIntyre (born May 29, 1943) is a Canadian journalist, broadcaster and novelist. He has won ten Gemini Awards, an International Emmy and numerous other awards for writing and journalistic excellence, including the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his 2009 novel, The Bishop's Man. Well known for many years for his stories on CBC's The Fifth Estate, in 2014 he announced his retirement from the show at age 71. His final story, broadcast on November 21, 2014, was "The Interrogation Room" about police ethics and improper interrogation room tactics.

Life and career
One of three children of Dan Rory MacIntyre and Alice Donohue, he was raised in Port Hastings, Nova Scotia. The Donohue family was from Bay St. Lawrence, a small fishing community in northern Cape Breton, who were originally from Ireland. As a miner, his father was rarely at home. MacIntyre has said, "The old fellow decided the family would stay in the community and he would go away and stay as long as it took. ... My mother was a teacher and my sisters and I stayed with her."

After high school, MacIntyre moved to Antigonish, Nova Scotia, where in 1964 he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Francis Xavier University. He also studied at St. Mary's University and the University of King's College in Halifax. From 1964 to 1967 he worked for the Halifax Herald as a parliamentary reporter in Ottawa. He continued in the same role with the Financial Times of Canada from 1967 to 1970. He was drawn back to Cape Breton after the death of his father in 1970 and for the next six years he lived there and worked as a correspondent for the Chronicle Herald.

He joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Halifax in 1976 and for three years he hosted a regional public affairs show called The MacIntyre File. It was with this program that he launched a successful legal challenge before the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia over access to affidavits and documents relating to search warrants. Later heard before the Supreme Court of Canada, the successful suit was a landmark case which set a precedent in support of public and media access to information in Canada.

In 1980, MacIntyre moved to Toronto, where he still resides, to work as a producer and journalist and in 1981 he joined CBC's new flagship news program, The Journal.

His work took him around the world preparing documentary reports on international affairs, preparing such notable features as 1981's "Dirty Sky, Dying Water" (about acid rain). From 1986 to 1988 he was host and national editor of CBC Radio's flagship show, Sunday Morning. In 1990 he was named co-host of the weekly investigative newsmagazine the fifth estate, with which he remained until 2014. In addition, he has been a frequent guest host of The Current on CBC Radio One.

In 2014, MacIntyre decided to retire both to help spare at least one younger colleague from the pending 657 job cuts from the CBC and to illustrate the effect of the considerable budget cuts the CBC is enduring.

Stories
For the fifth estate, he has written numerous investigative reports often with producer Neil Docherty. Many of the shows have also appeared on Frontline. Examples of his stories include:
 "To Sell a War" (1992). The film is about a public relations campaign to gain public opinion support for the First Gulf War. It won an International Emmy and a Gemini Award.
 "The Trouble With Evan" (1994). This film, about the psychological abuse of a child by his parents, was introduced by MacIntyre when first broadcast as the saddest story he ever had to tell. Winner of an Anik Award, it was removed from competition at the Cannes Film Festival and banned in Canada for several years due to court orders on behalf of some of the subjects.
 "His Word Against History: The Stephen Truscott Story" (2000). It was a co-recipient (with other fifth estate documentaries) of the Michener Award for meritorious public service journalism.
 "The Scandal of the Century" (2001) about false accusations of sexual abuse in Saskatchewan (see Sheila Steele).
 "Terror and Tehran" (2002) about US policy in Iran.  Transcript of an online discussion about the program from The Washington Post)
 "Toxic Company" (with Frontline and New York Times Television, 2003). An exposé of McWane, it won a Dupont/Columbia Silver Baton, the George Polk Award, the George Foster Peabody Award and the CBC's Wilderness award. The accompanying New York Times series, "Dangerous Business", won a Pulitzer Prize.
 "A Hail of Bullets" (2005) about the Mayerthorpe tragedy.
 "Brian Mulroney: The Unauthorized Chapter" (2007) about the Airbus affair.

Personal life
During a fifty-day lockout by the CBC in 2005,  MacIntyre penned a memoir called Causeway: A Passage from Innocence, which he dedicated to his mother. He has five children including CBC New Brunswick producer Darrow MacIntyre. He married broadcaster Carol Off in 2000.

Publications

Novels

His first three novels are called his Cape Breton Trilogy:
The Long Stretch, 1999
The Bishop's Man, 2009 - Winner of the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize - Winner of the 2010 Libris Fiction Book of the Year Award.
Why Men Lie, 2012
Punishment, 2014
The Only Café, 2017
The Winter Wives, 2021

Non-fiction
Who Killed Ty Conn (with Theresa Burke), 2001
Causeway: A Passage from Innocence, 2006
The Wake: The Deadly Legacy of a Newfoundland Tsunami, 2019

References

External links
CBC profile, October 2011

1943 births
Living people
Canadian Screen Award winning journalists
Canadian newspaper journalists
Canadian male journalists
Canadian non-fiction writers
Canadian male novelists
Canadian television reporters and correspondents
Canadian people of Scottish descent
Journalists from Nova Scotia
People from Inverness County, Nova Scotia
Writers from Nova Scotia
St. Francis Xavier University alumni
CBC Radio hosts
20th-century Canadian novelists
21st-century Canadian novelists
20th-century Canadian journalists
21st-century Canadian journalists
20th-century Canadian male writers
21st-century Canadian male writers

Linden MacIntyre


T. James Belich (born 1976, also known by the pseudonym of Colorado Tolston) is an American playwright and actor.  He is the author of a dozen plays in genres that include mystery, fantasy, religious, and children's.  His works have been performed not only in the United States, but also around the world in places such as Africa, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and New Zealand.

Belich has been heavily influenced by the works of such authors as C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Madeleine L'Engle.

In 2002, Belich helped found the Critical Mass Playwrighting Fellowship in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, which led to creation of the Hodge-Podge Players (now the Hodge-Podge Theatre Company), a theatre group which focuses on presenting theatre for youth and family audiences. The Hodge-Podge Theatre Company primarily produces original work by Critical Mass members.

In addition to his career as a playwright, Belich also has a background in the sciences, having studied physics at the University of Minnesota where he earned a PhD under his advisor, Dr. James Kakalios.

Belich has also been active in the theatre in other capacities. He has acted in a wide range of roles, and has worked behind the scenes in positions ranging from lighting designer to producer.  In 2006 he brought his own play, Illinois Jane and the Pyramid of Peril, to the Minnesota Fringe Festival with his new company, The Pauper's Theater.  Belich currently resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with his wife Kelly.

List of works
 The Captain's Treasure, A Commedia Heuer Publishing
 Eponine (Contemporary) Heuer Publishing
 A Slip in Time (Murder mystery)
 World That Never Was (Science-fiction)
 Light Never Dies (Fantasy epic)
 Rexque Futurus (Arthurian)
 Ace of Diamonds (Murder mystery) – Big Dog Plays
 ReFUSION: Tale of the Oracle (Storytelling fantasy)
 Twilight of the King (Christmas comedy) – Playscripts, Inc.
 Forgotten Fire: Tale of the Burning Sword (Storytelling fantasy)
 Illumination: A New Tenebrae (with AvaLynn Nadine Grant)
 The Tiger, the Brahmin and the Jackal (Folk tale) – Heuer Publishing
 Masterminds (with K. Thomas Whitby and Corey Mills)
 The Wind in the Willows (Children's) – Playscripts, Inc.
 Illinois Jane and the Rainforest of Retribution (Adventure comedy) – Playscripts, Inc.
 The Princess and the Moon (Fairytale comedy)

External links
Official website (includes full scripts of his plays)
Pioneer Drama Service
Playscripts, Inc.
Heuer Publishing

21st-century American dramatists and playwrights
University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumni
Living people
1976 births

T. James Belich


, the common initialism for Super VHS, is an improved version of the VHS standard for consumer-level video recording. Victor Company of Japan introduced S-VHS in Japan in April 1987, with their JVC-branded HR-S7000 VCR, and in certain overseas markets soon afterward. By the end of 1987, the first S-VHS VCR models from other competitors included Hitachi VT-2700A, Mitsubishi HS-423UR, Panasonic PV-S4764, RCA VPT-695HF, and Toshiba SV-950. It has been standardized as IEC 60774-3 and IEC 60774-4.

Technical information
Like VHS, the S-VHS format uses a color under a modulation scheme.  S-VHS improves luminance (luma) resolution by increasing luminance bandwidth.  Increased bandwidth is possible because of the increased luminance carrier from 3.4 megahertz (MHz) to 5.4 MHz.  The luminance modulator bandwidth also is increased: in contrast to standard VHS's frequencies of 3.8 MHz (synch tip) to 4.8 MHz (peak white), S-VHS uses 5.4 MHz synch tip and 7.4 MHz peak white. Increased luminance bandwidth produces a 60% improvement in luminance picture detail—a horizontal resolution of 420 vertical lines per picture height, versus VHS's 240 lines.  The often quoted horizontal resolution of "over 400" means S-VHS captures greater picture detail than even NTSC analog cable and broadcast TV, which is limited to about 330 television lines (TVL).  In practice, when time-shifting TV programs on S-VHS equipment, the improvement over VHS is noticeable.  Yet, the trained eye can easily spot the difference between live television and an S-VHS recording of it.  This is because S-VHS does not improve other key aspects of the video signal, particularly the chrominance (chroma) signal. In VHS, the chroma carrier is both severely bandlimited and noisy, a limitation that S-VHS does not address. Lack of color resolution was a deficiency shared by S-VHS's contemporaries, such as Hi8 and ED-Beta – all of which were limited to 0.4 megahertz or 30 TVL resolution.

In audio recording, S-VHS retains VHS's conventional linear (baseband) and high fidelity (Hi-Fi) – Audio Frequency Modulation (AFM) soundtracks. Some professional S-VHS decks can record a pulse-code modulation (PCM) digital audio track (stereo 48 kHz), along with normal video and Hi-Fi stereo and mono analog audio.

The bandwidth of S-VHS allows PAL recordings to contain Teletext data along with the normal video signal, which then can be displayed as an overlay of the conventional TV picture (though not on standard VHS machines).  A suitably Teletext-equipped receiver/decoder (TV, PC card, etc.) displays the recorded Teletext data information as if the video were a television transmission being received at that moment.

Hardware
S-VHS video cassette recorders (VCRs) and cassette tapes are nearly identical in appearance and operation, and backward compatible with VHS. VHS VCRs cannot play back S-VHS recordings at all but can record onto an S-VHS tape in the basic VHS format. Newer VHS VCRs, depending upon their specification, offered a feature called S-VHS quasi-playback or Super Quasi-Play Back, abbreviated to SQPB.  SQPB lets basic VHS players view (but not record) S-VHS recordings, though reduced to the lesser VHS quality.  This feature is useful for viewing S-VHS camcorder recordings that used either the full-size S-VHS videotape cassette or the smaller S-VHS-C videotape cassette.

Later model S-VHS VCRs offered a recording option called S-VHS ET, which allowed SVHS VCRs to record on VHS tape. S-VHS ET is a further modification of the VHS standards that permitted near S-VHS quality recordings on more common and less expensive basic VHS tapes.  S-VHS ET recordings can be viewed on most SQPB-equipped VHS VCRs and S-VHS VCRs.

To get the most benefit from S-VHS, a direct video connection to the monitor or TV is required, ideally via an S-Video connectors and/or S-Video enabled SCART.

Media
In order to take advantage of the enhanced capabilities of the S-VHS system, i.e., for the best recordings and playback, an S-VHS VCR requires S-VHS video tape cassettes.  These have a different oxide media formulation for higher magnetic coercivity. S-VHS video cassettes are sensed and identified by the video cassette recorder via a specific internal profile within a hole in the underside of the S-VHS video cassette body.

Videophiles were the first to theorize that since the only distinguishing feature of an S-VHS tape is a small 3 mm hole on the underside of the video cassette, it should be possible to use more common and inexpensive VHS tapes by duplicating that hole. However, S-VHS cassettes contain a higher grade and coercivity of tape stock to effectively record the higher video bandwidth offered by S-VHS.

S-VHS tapes are compatible with VHS VCRs, but an SVHS recording will not play back properly.

S-VHS ET
JVC introduced an S-VHS ET (Super-VHS Expansion Technology) system on its S-VHS consumer decks, allowing the use of normal VHS tapes for S-VHS recording, by slightly modifying the S-VHS recording specs, while still retaining compatibility, so that S-VHS ET tapes could be played with non-ET S-VHS VCRs. In S-VHS ET mode, the recording circuit is altered with:
 Change of the W/D clip level (reducing the white clip level from 210% in SVHS to 190% in SVHS ET)
 Change of the main emphasis characteristics (changing the frequency responses)
 Change of the recording level (Y and C) and recording current

Limited success

Despite its designation as the logical successor to VHS, S-VHS did not come close to replacing VHS. Likewise, S-VHS rentals and movie sales did very poorly.  A few pre-recorded movies were released to S-VHS, but poor market acceptance prompted studios to transition their high-end product from S-VHS to Laserdisc, and then onto DVD.

, consumer S-VHS VCRs were still available, but difficult to find in retail outlets.  The largest VCR manufacturers, such as Matsushita and Mitsubishi, gradually moved to DVD recorders, and hard-disk based digital video recorders (DVRs).  Combination DVD/VCR units rarely offered S-VHS format standard, only VHS.  In the mainstream consumer camcorder market, miniDV, DVD, and—eventually—solid state memory-based camcorders replaced S-VHS-C camcorders.  Digital camcorders generally outperform S-VHS-C units in most technical aspects: audio/video quality, recording time, lossless duplication, and form-factor.  The videotapes themselves are available, mostly by mail order or online, but are vanishingly rare in retail channels, and substantially more expensive than high-quality standard VHS media.

Videography

In the camcorder role, the smaller form S-VHS-C enjoyed limited success among home video users, competing with Hi8.

Full-size S-VHS was more popular in the amateur video industry, as it allowed for at least second-generation copies at reasonable quality, which was necessary for editing. JVC, Panasonic, and Sony had sold industrial S-VHS decks for amateur and semi-professional production use.

A number of colleges and universities used S-VHS as a teaching tool for students, as the tapes cost less and offered more recording time than Betacam SP tapes, and yet students could still be trained on professional-level equipment.  In the US a number of local access TV stations, and in Canada local cable channels used S-VHS in the 1990s to record and playback local programs, such as city councils and Christmas parades.  For most of these stations, while the  U-Matics that they had been using were being phased out, but the digital video was still years away, S-VHS was used to record from the composite setups that were still in place for U-Matic production.

Some television stations used the S-VHS format, both for acquisition and subsequent studio editing, but the network studios largely avoided S-VHS, as descendants of the more expensive Betacam format had already become a de facto industry standard.

S-VHS vs ED-Beta

Shortly after the announcement of S-VHS, Sony responded with an announcement of Extended Definition Betamax (ED-Beta).  S-VHS was JVC's next-generation video format designed to dominate the competing Super Betamax format (which already offered better-than-VHS quality).  Not to be outdone, Sony developed ED-Beta as their next-generation competitor to S-VHS.

In terms of video performance, ED-Beta offered even greater luminance bandwidth than S-VHS – 500 television lines (TVL)  of horizontal resolution per picture height, versus S-VHS's or Laserdisc's 420 TVL; putting ED-Beta nearly on par with professional digital video formats (520 TVL).  However, chroma performance was far less spectacular, as neither S-VHS nor ED-Beta exceeded 0.4 megahertz or ~30 TVL maximum, whereas NTSC broadcast has a chroma resolution of ~120 TVL, and DVD has a chroma resolution of ~240 TVL.  S-VHS was used in some TV stations for inexpensive "on the spot" camcorder capture of breaking news, however, it was not suitable for multi-generational (studio) use.

In terms of audio performance, both VHS and Beta offered analog Hi-Fi stereos of outstanding quality.  Rather than reinvent the wheel, both S-VHS and ED-Beta re-used the AFM schemes of their predecessors without change.  Professional S-VHS decks did offer digital PCM audio, a feature not matched by ED-Beta decks.  In PAL markets, depth multiplexed audio was used for both formats.

In the U.S. market, the mainstream consumer market had largely ignored the release of S-VHS.  With the Betamax market already in sharp decline, a "format war" for the next generation of video simply did not materialize.  Sony discontinued the ED-Beta product line in the U.S. market after less than two years, handing S-VHS a victory by default, if it can even be called that.  (VHS decks continued to outsell S-VHS decks until the end of the VCR product life cycle.)

There is anecdotal evidence that some TV stations purchased ED-Beta equipment as a low-cost alternative to professional Betacam equipment, prompting speculation that Sony's management took steps to prevent its consumer (ED-Beta) division from cannibalizing the sales of its more lucrative professional video division.  Nevertheless, by the time of ED-Beta's introduction, VHS had already won a decisive victory, and no amount of competition on behalf of ED-Beta could regain the home video market.

Use for digital audio

In 1991, Alesis introduced ADAT, an eight-track digital audio recording system that used S-VHS cassettes. An ADAT machine recorded eight tracks of uncompressed audio material in 16-bit (later 20-bit) resolution. The recording time was one-third of the cassette's nominal playing time, e.g., a 120 min S-VHS cassette held 40 minutes of eight-track audio.

Studer produced the V-Eight (manufactured and sold by Alesis as the M20)  and the V-Twenty-Four digital multitrack recorders. These used S-VHS cassettes for 8-track and 24-track digital audio recording, at a significantly lower cost than their DASH reel-to-reel digital recorders. The videotape transports were made for Studer by Matsushita.

See also
D-VHS
W-VHS
Video 2000

References

External links

Tape loading mechanism S-VHS VTR Telefunken A1200 — YouTube.com video
Tape loading mechanism S-VHS VTR Panasonic AG-4700 — YouTube.com video
Tape loading mechanism / dynamic drum S-VHS VTR JVC HR-S9500 — YouTube.com video
Formats — High-TechProductions.com
TVR Formats — LabGuysWorld.com

Products introduced in 1987
Videotape
VHS
Japanese inventions
Videocassette formats

S-VHS


National Police Day is a national holiday in Egypt that occurs each year on 25 January.

The holiday commemorates and is a remembrance of the Battle of Ismailia where 50 police officers killed and more wounded when they refused British demands to hand over weapons and evacuate the Ismaïlia Police Station on 25 January 1952. The British Army surrounded the police station, then brought tanks in and took over the station.  One of the major heroes of this battle was Captain Salah Zulfikar. The event was photographed by a local man and photos were published, inciting anger and riots throughout Egypt.

January 25 was declared as an official holiday in 2009 by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to recognize the efforts of Egyptian police to maintain security and stability in Egypt and acknowledge their sacrifices.

When the Egyptian police drifted away from their duty of keeping civilians and country safe and began humiliating people to back Mubarak's corrupt regime, a number of Egyptian opposition groups had chosen this day to start mass protests in 2011, which turned into a massive popular revolution which swept across the country on January 28. This revolution is known as the Revolution of 25 January. President Hosni Mubarak stepped down from office, and the Supreme Council of the armed forces took over the governing of the country.

See also
2011 Egyptian revolution
Law enforcement in Egypt
Public holidays in Egypt

References

Public holidays in Egypt
January observances
Winter events in Egypt
Police days

National Police Day (Egypt)


Walter Jenkin Evans (1 April 1856 – 10 February 1927) was a Welsh academic who served as Principal of Carmarthen Presbyterian College and who wrote about the history and people of Unitarianism in Carmarthen.

Life
Evans was born on 1 April 1856 at Carmarthen, south Wales. After schooling in Parc-y-felfed and at grammar school in Carmarthen, he went to Carmarthen Presbyterian College from 1870 to 1873, then to Jesus College, Oxford, and Manchester College, Oxford, obtaining his BA in 1878 and his MA in 1880.

After teaching in London and in Brighton from 1879 to 1884, he returned to Carmarthen Presbyterian College in 1884 as tutor in Latin and Greek.  In 1888, he became Principal (the appointment attracting some controversy at the time on theological grounds).  He helped to establish good links between the college and the University of Wales during his time in office, and served as Dean of Divinity for the university from 1910 to 1913.  He died on 10 February 1927.

Works
Whilst Evans published some research on Latin poetry (Alliteratio Latina, or Alliteration in Latin Verse, 1921), his main work was on the history of Unitarianism.  He wrote on the history of Carmarthen Academy and on the history of Unitarianism in Carmarthen, and also penned biographies of Unitarian students from Carmarthen.  The National Library of Wales holds six manuscript volumes of his biographies and notes on the history of his denomination.

References

1856 births
1927 deaths
Welsh Unitarians
19th-century Welsh historians
20th-century Welsh historians
People from Carmarthen
Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford
Alumni of Harris Manchester College, Oxford

Walter Jenkin Evans


The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier is an original graphic novel in the comic book series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill. It was the last volume of the series to be published by DC Comics. Although the third book to be published, it was not intended to be the third volume in the series. Moore has stated that it was intended to be "a sort of ingenious sourcebook", and not a regular volume.

Black Dossier was released on November 14, 2007.

Background and format
Originally referred to as The Dark Dossier during early announcements of its existence, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier differs from the other regular volumes, as it is a self-contained graphic novel designed to be a "sourcebook" for the series. While the first two volumes included prose stories as backup features, the majority of Black Dossier consists of non-comic pieces, taking the form of prose stories, letters, maps, guidebooks, magazines and even a lost Shakespeare folio. Also included is a 'Tijuana Bible' insert that adapts George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and a 3-D section complete with custom glasses. However, these prose pieces and inserts are framed by a comic story, in which Mina Harker and Allan Quatermain obtain the Black Dossier itself and are then pursued by government forces.

All illustrations are done by Kevin O'Neill, the artist on the first two volumes. Alan Moore also recorded a vinyl record of him singing an original song that would be released with the book, but DC did not include it.

After many changed shipping dates, the Absolute Edition was released with no vinyl record, no script/sketch companion book (something that had shipped with Absolute "League" volumes 1 & 2), and a price point of $99 – $24 higher than the two previous Absolute League volumes.

Bill Oakley died halfway through designing the book, so the last half was designed by Todd Klein. The book is dedicated to Oakley's memory.

The vinyl record was eventually produced in the UK.

Development
According to Moore the Black Dossier was created because Moore was uncomfortable with the idea of O'Neill being unemployed during the planned hiatus between Volumes II and III of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Wanting to do a source book for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Moore began writing the Black Dossier, expanding the original idea to include numerous different prose sections of different styles from a Fanny Hill "sequel" to a beatnik style story and a comic narrative that frames the Dossier sections.

Moore and O'Neill also took the main characters Mina Murray and Allan 60 years into the future out of fear that the Victorian era was already waning in interest. Because many of the characters used in the Black Dossier are not in the public domain, Moore became more creative in alluding to the characters' identities but never directly revealing who they were, thus avoiding legal issues with the owners of those characters. For example, the character of "Jimmy" is a thinly veiled reference to James Bond; hints to this include owning Campion Bond's cigarette case and lighter, his preference for Vodka Martinis, having a scar from the novels, as well as owning a James Bond trademark Walther PPK pistol with 007 engraved on it. The names of other characters are shortened or otherwise changed to mask their origins: Mrs. Peel from the Avengers uses her maiden name throughout the graphic novel (here spelled "Night" instead of "Knight"), and Billy Bunter is only referred to by his first name.

A DC press release confirmed it would not be released outside the United States "due to international copyright concerns and related issues". This was not an issue with previous volumes, as the Victorian setting meant that the majority of characters that were used were from works no longer under copyright. However, the book is available in the United Kingdom as well as in Canada.

Plot
Unlike earlier volumes, the comic book portions of Black Dossier are not set in the Victorian era; rather, they are set in 1958, after the fall of the Big Brother government from Nineteen Eighty Four (the explanation for this discrepancy is that Orwell's book was originally set in 1948, but the dates were changed by the publisher). The frame story sees Mina Harker and Allan Quatermain—now immortal after bathing in the fire of youth from She: A History of Adventure—on their quest to recover the Black Dossier, which contains the secret history of the now-disbanded League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

The book starts with Mina Murray (going by the name Odette O'quim) at a bar in London, where MI5 agent James "Jimmy" Bond (grandson of Campion Bond) attempts to seduce her, taking her to the decaying remains of the "Ministry of Love", once one of Big Brother's government departments. Jimmy attempts to rape Mina but is subdued by a brick hidden in Mina's handbag. Allan quickly arrives and the two retrieve the Dossier. Harry Lime, the new M, teams Jimmy up with Emma Night and her uncle, an aged Hugo Drummond, to hunt down Mina and Allan, who are believed to be heading North.

Mina and Allan take a detour to Greyfriars School in Kent which houses the thirty-nine steps and was attended by Harold Wharton, a.k.a. Big Brother. The caretaker, William, reveals that many British spies were groomed at the school and that Bob Cherry is Harry Lime. Mina and Allan agree to visit a spaceport on their detour (space-travel technology has flourished since the Martian invasion of Volume II). At the spaceport, Jimmy, Emma and Hugo find Allan and Mina, who escape via a robot-piloted rocket that references British children's show Fireball XL5.

The two escape the crashing rocket by parachute and land in the Scottish countryside to find a ruined castle they were heading for. Galley-Wag rescues them from Jimmy and escorts them into the castle. Hugo follows them inside, where Mina reveals that they are the same Mina Murray and Allan Quatermain who fought off Professor Moriarty and the Martians. They also reveal that Jimmy's career is mostly fabricated, that he is a double agent for the United States and that he killed John Night, Emma's father and Hugo's brother. Hugo lets them leave and tries to kill Jimmy for his actions, but he is shot by Bond at point-blank range.

Mina and Allan successfully return to the mysterious, utopian universe of The Blazing World, where they are reunited with their mutual lover Orlando and have safely hidden the dossier.

The Black Dossier
As Murray and Quatermain read the dossier, the contents of the dossier interrupt the narrative in different sections. Stories include:
 "On the Descent of the Gods", an account of the gods of the League universe, as written by Oliver Haddo;
 a twenty-five page Life of Orlando comic strip which tells the entire life of Orlando, from his birth in the city of Thebes in 1260 B.C. up to the Second World War, told in the style the 1950s British comic Trump;
 a faux William Shakespeare play detailing the foundation of the League by Prospero from The Tempest;
 an imaginary sequel to John Cleland's Fanny Hill, with full-page illustrations akin to those that Marquis Von Bayros illustrated for the book;
 a Bertie Wooster and Jeeves prose story involving one of Great Old Ones from the stories of H.P. Lovecraft;
 "The Crazy Wide Forever", a short story written in the style of Jack Kerouac.

Other features include:
 a picture map of the Blazing World and its location;
 a cut-away of Nemo's Nautilus Mark II submarine;
 a series of postcards Mina and Allan sent between the years 1899 and 1913;
 profiles of the second twentieth century Leagues and the group's French and German counterparts.

Reception
Time magazine's Lev Grossman named it one of the "Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2007", ranking it at #2 and praising it as "effing genius". Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave Black Dossier a 9.5 rating, praising the complex detail of Kevin O'Neill's artwork and the literary quality of Moore's writing, whilst criticising the quality of the paper, the printing style of the hardcover version and some aspects of the storytelling.

Awards
 2007: Won the "Favourite Original Graphic Novel" Eagle Award

References

Sources

External links
About Black Dossier
Black Dossier Annotations by Jess Nevins
The DC Comics Message Board for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Preview of Black Dossier, Entertainment Weekly

Interviews
Alan Moore: Inside "The Black Dossier", Comic Book Resources, November 14, 2007
Kevin O'Neill Talks "The Black Dossier", Comic Book Resources, November 20, 2007

2007 comics debuts
Comics by Alan Moore
Fiction set in 1958


Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (also known as Winnie the Pooh's Most Grand Adventure in some countries) is a 1997 direct-to-video animated movie.  It is a sequel to Walt Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

The movie follows Pooh and his friends on a trip to find and rescue their friend Christopher Robin from the "Skull".

Because of the movie's dark themes and pictures, it had mixed to negative reviews.  It was the first Disney direct-to-video movie. It is also the first Winnie the Pooh movie ever to have its own special edition.

Plot
On the last day of summer, Christopher Robin attempts to tell his friend Winnie-the-Pooh some unpleasant news, but Pooh is disinterested and continuously changes the subject. After spending the day playing, Christopher Robin leaves Pooh with the advice, "You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think," but the drowsy Pooh does not clearly understand. Autumn arrives the next morning, and Pooh awakes to find a pot of honey at his doorstep, failing to notice a note attached to it. After eating the contents and staining the note in honey, Pooh searches for Christopher Robin to ask about the honey pot, but discovers that he is missing. Pooh's friends – Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore – have not seen Christopher Robin either and cannot decipher the note attached to the pot, so they go to Owl for assistance. Although he is able to remove some of the honey from the note, Owl misinterprets it as a request for help from Christopher Robin. Further mispronouncing the word "school" as "skull", he deduces that Christopher Robin has been taken to a distant and dangerous place called "Skull", a cave where the monstrous "Skullasaurus" resides. Owl equips the group with a map and sends them into the "Great Unknown" of the Hundred Acre Wood.

Throughout their journey through the Great Unknown, the group hears strange noises behind them, which they assume is the Skullasaurus. The group slowly begins to realize just how helpless they are without Christopher Robin in the outside world. Piglet, Tigger, and Rabbit come to believe they do not have the courage, strength, or intelligence respectively to go on; Piglet is abducted by a swarm of butterflies in a tranquil field, leaving him feeling scared and powerless, Tigger plummets into a deep gorge and is unable to bounce out to safety, eventually causing the others to fall in with him, and Rabbit continuously makes poor leadership decisions following Owl's inaccurate map. Pooh tries to comfort them each with the advice Christopher Robin had given him, but fails due to his inability to remember exactly what he said. When Rabbit finally breaks down and admits he has no idea where they are going, the group comes to terms with their failure and take shelter in a nearby cave. While everyone is asleep, Pooh laments on getting no closer to finding Christopher Robin.

The next morning, the five friends realize they had spent the night in the Skull Cave. Entering the cave, they split up to look for Christopher Robin. When Rabbit, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet eventually reunite, they are scared away by Pooh's distorted reflection as he walks towards them from behind a crystal wall, mistaking him for the Skullasaurus. As Pooh winds up stuck in a small crevasse, his friends believe that he has been eaten. They discover the "Eye of the Skull" where Christopher Robin is supposedly trapped, and overcome their fears and doubts to reach it. Observing his friends' bravery, Pooh excitedly frees himself from the tight gap, only to slip down a long descent and fall into a deep pit that he is unable to escape. While there, he realizes that Christopher Robin is still with him in his heart, even when they are not together, just as Christopher Robin had promised. As Piglet, Rabbit, Tigger, and Eeyore enter the Eye, they are found by Christopher Robin, who has been searching for them as well. He clears up Owl's misunderstanding of the note, explaining that he wanted Pooh to "help [him]self" to the honey pot he gave him. The roars of the Skullasaurus they have been plagued by were actually the noises of Pooh's stomach growling.

After Christopher Robin rescues Pooh from the pit, the group exits the cave, only to discover that from the outside, it and the other places they have crossed are not nearly as big and scary as they seemed when Christopher Robin was not with them. That evening, Christopher Robin says he will be returning to school the next day, but Pooh declares that he will always be waiting for him, and the two happily watch the sunset, knowing they will always have each other in the sanctuary of the Hundred Acre Wood.

Cast
Jim Cummings as Winnie-the-Pooh / Tigger's singing voice / Skullasaurus
John Fiedler as Piglet
Steve Schatzberg as Piglet's singing voice
Peter Cullen as Eeyore
Paul Winchell as Tigger
Ken Sansom - Rabbit
Andre Stojka - Owl
Brady Bluhm - Christopher Robin
Frankie J. Galasso - Christopher Robin's singing voice
David Warner as the Narrator

Songs
 "Forever and Ever", Performed by Jim Cummings and Frankie J. Galasso
 "Adventure is a Wonderful Thing", Performed by Andre Stojka
 "If It Says So, So It Is", Performed by Ken Sansom
 "Wherever You Are", Performed by Jim Cummings
 "Everything is Right", Performed by Jim Cummings  Peter Cullen (uncredited), Ken Sansom, John Fiedler, Jess Harnell, and Frankie J. Galasso.
 "Wherever You Are" [Reprise] (End Title) Performed by Barry Coffing and Vonda Shepard

References

Other websites

 Pooh's Grand Adventure DVD Review and Pictures at UltimateDisney.com

1997 animated movies
1997 fantasy movies
Disney animated movies
American fantasy movies
Disney direct-to-video movies
Movies about bears
Sequel movies
Winnie the Pooh


Françoise Isabella Agazarian (née Andre; 8 May 1913 – 24 June 1998), known as Francine Agazarian, was a World War II spy working with the Special Operations Executive (SOE).

SOE Work
Francine Agazarian landed in France by Lysander aircraft on 17 March 1943, along with Claude de Baissac and France Antelme.  She was joining her husband Jack Agazarian and the Prosper as a courier.  It was deemed unusual a married couple working on the same network; after the war Francine clarified the situation:

Although in the same network, my husband and I were not working together; as a radio operator he worked alone and transmitted from different locations every day. I was only responsible to Prosper (Francis Suttill) whom we all called Francois. He liked to use me for special errands because, France being my native land, I could get away from difficulties easily enough, particularly when dealing with officialdom.

Francois was an outstanding leader, clear-headed, precise, confident. I liked working on his instructions, and I enjoyed the small challenges he was placing in front of me. For instance calling at town halls in various districts of Paris to exchange the network's expired ration cards (manufactured in London) for genuine new ones. Mainly I was delivering his messages to his helpers: in Paris, in villages, or isolated houses in the countryside. From time to time I was also delivering demolition material received from England. And once, with hand-grenades in my shopping bag, I travelled in a train so full that I had to stand against a German NCO. This odd situation was not new to me. I had already experienced it for the first time on the day of my arrival on French soil, when I had to travel by train from Poitiers to Paris. A very full train also. I sat on my small suitcase in the corridor, a uniformed German standing close against me. But, that first time, tied to my waist, under my clothes, was a wide black cloth belt containing bank-notes for Prosper, a number of blank identity cards and a number of ration cards; while tucked into the sleeves of my coat were crystals for Prosper's radio transmitters; the crystals had been skilfully secured to my sleeves by Vera Atkins herself, before my departure from Orchard Court. My .32 revolver and ammunition were in my suitcase. The ludicrousness of the situation somehow eliminated any thoughts of danger.

In any case, I believe none of us in the field ever gave one thought to danger. Germans were everywhere, especially in Paris; one absorbed the sight of them and went on with the job of living as ordinarily as possible and applying oneself to one's work.

Because I worked alone, the times I liked best were when we could be together, Prosper (Francis Suttill), Denise (Andrée Borrel), Archambaud (Gilbert Norman), Marcel (Jack Agazarian) and I, sitting round a table, while I was decoding radio messages from London; we were always hoping to read the exciting warning to stand by, which would have meant that the liberating invasion from England was imminent.

As the network appeared to be close to being broken by the Germans, Francine and Jack returned to England by Lysander on 16 June 1943; arriving on that flight were Diana Rowden, Cecily Lefort and Noor Inayat Khan. Of the five, only Francine would survive the war. Jack returned to France, but was arrested on 30 July 1943 after falling for a German trap. He was tortured by the Gestapo for six months at Fresnes Prison and eventually sent to the Flossenbürg concentration camp where he was kept in solitary confinement and executed on 29 March 1945.

Post war
After the war, Francine Agazarian settled in London.

Awards
Francine Agazarian was Mentioned in Dispatches for her actions in France; her husband was also Mentioned in Dispatches and was posthumously awarded the Légion d'honneur and Croix de Guerre.

References

French Resistance members
People from Narbonne
Place of death missing
1913 births
1998 deaths
French Special Operations Executive personnel

Francine Agazarian