USS St. Louis (CL-49)

USS "St. Louis" (CL-49), eighth of nine light cruisers, was the fifth ship of the United States Navy named after the city of St. Louis, Missouri. Commissioned in 1939, she was very active in the Pacific during World War II, earning eleven battle stars.
She was deactivated shortly after the war, but was recommissioned into the Brazilian Navy as Almirante Tamandaré in 1951. She served until 1976, and sank under tow to the scrappers in 1980.
Construction.
"St. Louis" was laid down on 10 December 1936 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia; launched on 15 April 1938; sponsored by Miss Nancy Lee Morrill; and commissioned on 19 May 1939, Captain Charles H. Morrison in command.
Inter-war period.
Atlantic.
Fitted out and based at Norfolk, "St. Louis" completed shakedown on 6 October, then commenced Neutrality Patrol operations which, during the next 11 months, took her from the West Indies into the North Atlantic. On 3 September 1940, she put to sea with an inspection board embarked to evaluate possible sites, from Newfoundland to British Guiana, for naval and air bases to be gained in exchange for destroyers transferred to the British government. She returned to Norfolk on 27 October.
Pacific.
"St. Louis" sailed for the Pacific on 9 November. Transiting the Panama Canal five days later, "St. Louis" reached Pearl Harbor on 12 December. She participated in fleet maneuvers and conducted patrols during the winter of 1940–1941, then steamed to California for an overhaul at Mare Island. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 20 June and resumed operations in Hawaiian waters.
Two months later, "St. Louis" sailed west with other cruisers of the Battle Force, patrolled between Wake Island, Midway Atoll, and Guam, then, proceeded to Manila, returning to Hawaii at the end of September. On 28 September 1941, she entered the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard for upkeep.
World War II.
On 7 December 1941, "St. Louis" was moored to the pier in Southeast Lock at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At 7:56, Japanese planes were sighted by observers on board "St. Louis". Within minutes, the ship was at general quarters, and her operable anti-aircraft guns were manned and firing on the attackers. By 8:06, preparations for getting underway had begun. At about 8:20, one of the cruiser's gun crews shot down its first Japanese plane. By 9:00, two more Japanese aircraft had joined the first. At 9:31, "St. Louis" moved away from the pier and headed for South Channel and the open sea. 15 minutes later, her guns, whose power leads had been disconnected, were in full operating order.
As the cruiser moved into the channel entrance, she became the target of a midget submarine. The Japanese torpedoes, however, exploded on striking a shoal less than from the ship. Destroyers then pounded the bottom with depth charges and "St. Louis" continued out to sea where she joined and , both of which also left Pearl Harbor during the attack, and a few destroyers in the search for the Japanese fleet. After failing to locate the Japanese strike force, the hunters returned to Pearl Harbor on 10 December. "St. Louis" turned to escorting transports carrying casualties to San Francisco and troops to Hawaii.
For her success during the attack on Pearl Harbor, the ship was given the nickname "Lucky Lou."
1942.
On 6 January 1942, she departed San Francisco with Task Force 17 (TF 17), centered around , and escorted the ships transporting the Marine Expeditionary Force to Samoa to reinforce defenses there. From 20–24 January, the "Yorktown" group covered the offloading at Pago Pago, then moved to conduct air strikes in the Marshalls and the Gilberts before returning to Pearl Harbor on 7 February.
Upon her return to Pearl Harbor, "St. Louis" resumed escort duty with Hawaii–California convoys. In the spring, after a trip to the New Hebrides, she escorted , which was carrying President Manuel L. Quezon of the Philippines to the west coast, arriving at San Francisco on 8 May. The following day, she was again bound for Pearl Harbor. There, she switched to a reinforcement group carrying Marine aircraft and personnel to Midway in anticipation of Japanese efforts to take that key outpost. On the 25th, she delivered her charges to their mid-ocean destination, then moved north as a unit of TF 8 to reinforce Aleutian defenses.
On 31 May, "St. Louis" arrived at Kodiak Island, refueled, and got underway to patrol south of the Alaskan Peninsula. Through July, she continued the patrols, ranging westward to intercept enemy shipping. On 3 August, she headed for Kiska for her first shore bombardment mission. Four days later, she shelled that enemy-held island, then returned to Kodiak on the 11th.
After that mission, the cruiser continued patrols in the Aleutian area and covered the Allied occupation of Adak Island. On 25 October, she proceeded via Dutch Harbor to California for an overhaul at Mare Island.
1943.
On 4 December 1942, she departed San Francisco with transports bound for New Caledonia. She shepherded the convoy into its Nouméan anchorage on the 21st, then shifted to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, where she proceeded into the Solomons. She commenced operations there in January 1943 with bombardments of Japanese air facilities at Munda and Kolombangara, and during the next five months, repeated those raids and patrolled "the Slot" in the Central Solomons in an effort to halt the "Tokyo Express": reinforcement and supply shipping that sought, almost nightly, to bolster Japanese garrisons.
Shortly after midnight on 4–5 July, she participated in the bombardment of Vila and Bairoko Harbor, New Georgia. Her division, Cruiser Division 9 (CruDiv 9) and its screen, Destroyer Squadron 21 (DesRon 21), then retired back toward Tulagi to replenish as troops were landed at Rice Anchorage. Early on the morning of the 6th, however, the force located and engaged ten enemy destroyers headed for Vila with reinforcements embarked. In the Battle of Kula Gulf, and two enemy ships were sunk.

Six nights later, the force, TF 18, reinforced by DesRon 12, moved back up "the Slot" from Tulagi, and soon after 0100 on the 13th, engaged an enemy force consisting of the Japanese cruiser and five destroyers in the Battle of Kolombangara. During the battle, which raged for over an hour, "Jintsu" and were sunk and , , and "St. Louis" were damaged. "St. Louis" took a torpedo which hit well forward and twisted her bow, but caused no serious casualties.
She returned to Tulagi on the afternoon of the 13th. From there, she moved on to Espiritu Santo for temporary repairs, then steamed eastward, aft forward to protect the bow, to Mare Island, to complete the work. In mid-November, she returned to the Solomons, and from the 20th–25th covered Marines fighting for Bougainville Island. In December, she returned to that island to shell troop concentrations and, in January 1944, shifted southward to bombard enemy installations in the Shortland Islands. Then, she moved back to Bougainville to cover the landing of reinforcements at Cape Torokina.
1944–1945.
On 10 January 1944, "St. Louis" headed back to Florida Island. In February, she again moved northwest, this time into the extreme northern Solomons and the Bismarcks. On the 13th, she arrived in the area between Buka and St. George Channel to support landing operations in the Green Islands, off of New Ireland.
At 1945 on the 14th, six Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers were sighted approaching "St. Louis"s group. Crossing astern of the ships, the enemy planes went out to the southeast before turning and coming back. Only five remained in the formation, which split off into two groups. Two of the planes closed on "St. Louis".
The first plane dropped three bombs, all near misses. The second released three more. One scored on the light cruiser, the others being near misses just off the port quarter. The bomb that hit penetrated the 40 mm clipping room near the No. 6 gun mount, and exploded in the midships living compartment. Twenty-three died and 20 were wounded, 10 seriously. A fire, which had started in the clipping room, was extinguished. Both of her scout planes were rendered inoperable, and her ventilation system was damaged. Communication with the after engine room ceased, and the cruiser slowed to . On the 15th, she survived another air attack and was then ordered back to Purvis Bay.
Repairs were completed by the end of the month, and in March, "St. Louis" resumed operations with her division. Through May, she remained in the Solomons. On 4 June, she moved north to the Marshalls, where on the 10th, she sailed for the Mariana Islands in TF 52, the Saipan assault force. Four days later, she cruised off southern Saipan. On the 15th, she shelled the Chalan Kanoa area, retired as the landings took place, then moved back to provide call fire support and to shell targets of opportunity. On the 16th, she proceeded south and bombarded the Asan beach area of Guam. She then returned to Saipan and, on the 17th, shifted to an area north of that island where she remained through the battle of the Philippine Sea. On the 22nd, she returned to Saipan and, after screening the refueling group for two days, proceeded to the Marshalls.
On 14 July 1944, "St. Louis" again headed for the Marianas. The next day, she damaged her No. 3 propeller and lost of the tail shaft. Nevertheless, two days later, she arrived off Guam as scheduled; and, during the afternoon, covered underwater demolition teams working the proposed landing beaches. Pre-invasion shore bombardment followed, and after the landings on the 21st, she provided support fire and call fire. On the 29th, "St. Louis" departed the Marianas for Pearl Harbor, where she was routed on to California for overhaul. In mid-October, she steamed back to Hawaii, trained until the end of the month, then moved on across the Pacific, via Ulithi and Kossol Roads, to the Philippines, arriving in Leyte Gulf on 16 November.
During the next 10 days, she patrolled in the gulf and in Surigao Strait, adding her batteries to the anti-aircraft guns protecting shipping in the area. Shortly before noon on 27 November, a formation of 12–14 enemy planes attacked the cruiser's formation. "St. Louis" was unscathed in the brief battle. A request was made for CAP cover, but Japanese planes continued to command the air. At 1130, another 10 enemy planes filled the space vacated by the first flight and broke into three attack groups of four, four, and two. At 1138, a "Val" made a "kamikaze" dive on "St. Louis" from the port quarter, and exploded with its bomb on impact. Fires broke out in the cruiser's hangar area and spaces. All crew members of 20 mm guns 7–10 were killed or wounded.
At 1139, a second burning enemy plane headed at her on the port beam. Flank speed was rung up and the rudder was put hard right. The plane passed over No. 4 turret and crashed out.
At 1146, there was still no CAP cover over the cruiser's formation, and at 1151, two more enemy planes, both burning, attacked "St. Louis". The first was splashed off the port quarter, and the second drove in from starboard and crashed almost on board on the port side. A section of armor belt was lost and numerous holes were torn in her hull. By 1152, the ship had taken on a list to port. At 1210, another "kamikaze" closed on "St. Louis". It was stopped astern. Ten minutes later, enemy torpedo bombers moved in to attack. "St. Louis", warned by a PT boat, barely avoided contact with a lethal package dropped by one of the planes.
By 1236, the cruiser was back on an even keel. Thirty minutes later, all major fires were out, and salvage work had been started. Medical work was well under way: 15 were dead, one was missing, 21 were seriously wounded, and 22 had sustained minor injuries. On the 28th, "St. Louis"s seriously injured were transferred, and on the 30th, she put into San Pedro Bay for temporary repairs which allowed her to reach California toward the end of December.
On 1 March 1945, "St. Louis" departed California, and at mid-month, she joined the fast carrier force at Ulithi. By the end of the month, she had participated in strikes against the southern Japanese home islands, then moved south to the Ryukyu Islands to join Task Force 54 (TF 54), bombarded Okinawa, and guarded minesweepers and underwater demolition teams clearing channels for the invasion of Okinawa. On the 31st, she put into Kerama Retto to replenish, then returned to the larger island to support the forces landed on the Hagushi beaches on 1 April.
Five days later, the cruiser covered minesweepers off Iwo Jima, then resumed fire support and antiaircraft duties off Okinawa. On 18 May, she departed Hagushi for a brief respite at Leyte, and in mid-June, she resumed support operations off Okinawa. On 25 July, she shifted to TF 95, and on the 28th, she supported air strikes against Japanese installations on the Asiatic mainland. Sweeps of the East China Sea followed, and in early August, she anchored in Buckner Bay, where she remained until the end of hostilities on 15 August.
Post-war.
China.
Post-war duties kept the cruiser in the Far East for another two and one-half months. In late August 1945, while in the Philippines, she was assigned to TF 73 of the Yangtze River Patrol Force. During September, as other ships joined the force, she was at Buckner Bay, and in October, she moved on to Shanghai. In mid-October, she helped to lift Chinese Army units to Formosa.
Magic Carpet.
"St. Louis" joined the "Magic Carpet" fleet to carry World War II veterans back to the United States. She completed her first "Magic Carpet" run at San Francisco on 9 November 1945, and by mid-January 1946 had made two more runs, both to islands in the Central and Southwest Pacific.
In early February 1946, "St. Louis" sailed for the east coast and arrived at Philadelphia for deactivation on the 25th. She was decommissioned on 20 June and berthed at League Island with the 16th (Inactive) Fleet through the decade.
Transfer to Brazil.
In 1951, "St. Louis" was designated for transfer to the government of Brazil. Her name was struck from the US Naval Vessel Register on 22 January 1951, and on the 29th, she was commissioned in the Brazilian Navy as the "Almirante Tamandaré (C-12)" and served as the Fleet Flagship until 1976. She was deployed as part of the force in the Lobster War between Brazil and France. Decommissioned for the final time and placed into reserve, the "Tamandare" was eventually sold for scrap to Taiwan in 1980 and was under tow to the breakers yard (Taiwan) when she flooded and sank on 24 August 1980, near Cape of Good Hope, at .
Awards.
"St. Louis" earned 11 battle stars during World War II.


Arna Mer-Khamis

Arna Mer-Khamis (20 March 1929 – 15 February 1995) was an Israeli Jewish political and human rights activist. In 1993, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for "passionate commitment to the defence and education of the children of Palestine."
Biography.
Arna Mer was born in 1929, in Rosh Pinna, at that time in Mandate Palestine. Mer's father was Gideon Mer, a Lithuanian-born Jewish scientist who pioneered the study of malaria during the British Mandate. Mer fought with the Palmach and Israel Defense Forces during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
Mer married Saliba Khamis, a Christian Arab and a prominent member of Maki and had three sons, Spartacus, Juliano (who adopted the name Juliano Mer-Khamis) and Abir. Juliano, an actor, filmmaker and peace activist who was murdered in 2011, directed the film "Arna's Children" about Mer's work with the Freedom Theatre.
Political activism.
Mer was an active member of the Communist party in Israel. During the First Intifada, as part of a project to support the education of children in the West Bank, she established the organisation In the Defence of Children under Occupation/Care and Learning, and later established the Freedom Theatre in Jenin refugee camp.
Awards.
In 1993, Mer was awarded the Right Livelihood Award. In her acceptance speech, Arna Mer-Khamis expressed her sympathy for Palestinian refugee children and their sufferings.


Patrick Vinton Kirch

Patrick Vinton Kirch is an American archaeologist and Professor Emeritus of Integrative Biology and the Class of 1954 Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. Concurrently, he is professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Hawai'i Manoa. The former Curator of Oceanic Archaeology in the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, and director of that museum from 1999 to 2002, he is a member of the board of directors of the Bishop Museum.
Early life.
Kirch was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and was raised in Manoa valley from 1950s to 1960s. At the age of 13, he became an intern to Yoshio Kondo, a Bishop Museum malacologist. While there, he was studying Linnaean taxonomy and helped curate his mentor's collection of Polynesian snail shells. At the time, despite his strong interest in snails, he already had a passion for archaeology. Seeing it, Kondo suggested him to work with Kenneth Emory, a renowned Polynesian archaeologist. Unfortunately, Emory refused on working with Kirch, so Kondo took him under his wing so that Kirch could spend the whole summer conducting archaeological digs of his own.
A year later, securing the permission of a landowner and some help from his father, Kirch had dug out a three-by-three-foot test pit at Hālawa on Molokai. In the midden of the pit, he found bone and shell fragments, which he carefully assembled, counted and write up results on. The results made Emory furious, but Kondo insisted that Kirch did everything right and therefore deserves to go with him to the South Point's excavation site.
Career.
After graduating from the Punahou School, he attended University of Pennsylvania and Yale University, from which he obtained Ph.D. in 1975. From 1975 to 1984 Kirch served on the staff of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Due to the research decline in mid-1980s, Kirch relocated to Seattle, Washington, in 1984, where he was a director of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington and then became its associate professor. In 1989, he moved to California, where he took a position at the University of California, Berkeley, in the department of anthropology. He later took a joint appointment in the Department of Integrative Biology.
His research focused on the archaeology, ethnography, and paleoecology of the Pacific Islands. He carried out original field research in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Loyalty Islands, Kingdom of Tonga, American Samoa, Yap, Belau, the Marshall Islands, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia (Mangareva, Mo'orea), and Hawai'i.
Kirch retired from the Berkeley faculty in July 2014, becoming chancellor's professor emeritus and Class of 1954 Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Integrative Biology. He is currently a professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa.
He was one of the founders and the first president of the Society for Hawaiian Archaeology. In 2017 he was appointed to the board of directors of the Bishop Museum. He is a member of the advisory board of the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, advising on the preservation of cultural sites.
His international collaborations include work with the Australian National University, the University of Auckland and University of Otago (New Zealand), and the University of French Polynesia (Tahiti). He is a member of the International Center for Archaeological Research on Polynesia, based at the University of French Polynesia. As a member of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences, he served as a liaison to the Pacific Science Association.
Through his work, he has come to the belief that practitioners of archaeology, historical linguistics, human genetic studies, ethnology, and archival historical research can work together to give a fuller picture of the past than any discipline alone could do.
Awards and honors.
In 1997 Kirch was awarded the John J. Carty Award from the National Academy of Sciences and in 2011 became recipient of the Herbert E. Gregory Medal for Distinguished Service to Pacific Science from the Pacific Science Association. He is also a Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of French Polynesia (2016).
Kirch's research was recognized by the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.
From 1997 to 1998, Krich was a fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and in 2010, Kirch was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
Publications.
Kirch has authored more than 250 books, monographs, articles, and chapters. His major books include:


Septimus Burt

The Hon Septimus Burt KC (25 October 1847 – 15 May 1919) was a Western Australian lawyer, politician and grazier, the son of Sir Archibald Burt.
He was born on 25 October 1847 at St Kitts in the West Indies, and educated at a private school at Melksham, Wiltshire, England. His family had been resident in the West Indies since 1635, primarily involved in administration of the Leeward Islands and in sugar plantations. Burt's great-great-great-uncle, William Mathew Burt, was Governor-General (1776–1781) of the Leeward Islands during the American War of Independence.
In January 1861 he arrived in Western Australia with his parents, and subsequently attended Hale School in Perth.
He served as an articled clerk to George Frederick Stone, and was admitted to the Bar in 1870. In 1876, Burt went into partnership with Edward Albert Stone (George Frederick's son), in the firm Stone and Burt.
He was offered a knighthood in 1901 – Knight Commander of St Michael and St George (KCMG) – but declined it. He also declined several invitations to join the bench of the Supreme Court, including the position of Chief Justice at the request of Premier George Leake in 1901.
He died on 15 May 1919, and is buried at Karrakatta Cemetery.
Political career.
In 1874 Burt accepted a nominated membership of the Western Australian Legislative Council. In 1879 he relinquished that nominee membership, and in the general election of 1880 was elected unopposed for the district of Murray and Williams.
In March 1886 Burt resigned from his seat on the Legislative Council to accept the position of Acting Attorney-General after the sudden resignation of the incumbent Alfred Hensman. Burt remained as Attorney-General until December 1886.
In 1887 Burt was appointed one of Western Australia's two representatives to the First Colonial Conference in London. He was also appointed Queen's Counsel.
In May 1888 Burt contested a by-election for the Perth seat in the Legislative Council, but lost to John Horgan. In July of that year, he was elected to the Legislative Council's North District seat. When Western Australia gained self-government in 1890, he was elected unopposed as the inaugural Legislative Assembly member for Ashburton, and held that seat until he retired from politics in 1900. During this time he was Attorney General (1890–1897), was Acting Premier when the leader, Sir John Forrest, was absent from the State, and was responsible for the creation of the Western Australian Agent-General's office in London and acted in that position from 1891 to 1892. Sir Malcolm Fraser KCMG took over in 1892 as the official Agent General for Western Australia. Burt was also a member of the Executive Council (1890–1901). He also served as "Minister without portfolio" from 1897 to 1900.
From 1881 to 1889, Burt was a member of the Perth City Council.
Pastoral interests.
In 1877 Burt formed a syndicate with John, Alexander and David Forrest and took up a lease of land on the Ashburton River. This lease became known as Minderoo Station. He was also owner or part-owner of other properties, including Kadji Kadji, Brick House (near Carnarvon), Yinnetharra,
Red Hill, Gifford Creek and Minne Creek. The syndicate was dissolved in later years, with the families taking separate ownership of the properties.
Personal life.
Burt married Louisa Fanny Hare (daughter of Gustavus Edward Cockburn Hare-Naylor and Sarah Annie Wright) in 1872. The couple had ten children.
He was a synodsman, trustee and legal advisor for the Church of England, and a close friend of Archbishop Charles Riley.
In May 1896 Burt and 5 of his 6 sons played a significant part in the establishment of association football in Western Australia.
In 1917 Burt and his wife funded and donated to the Church the Burt Memorial Hall on St Georges Terrace, as a memorial to their two sons killed during . Initially it was to commemorate their son Theodore, who died in 1917, but a second son, Francis, was killed in 1918 before the construction was complete.
Burt was captain of the Perth Cricketers in 1871, president of the Carnarvon Club 1917–1918, and a foundation member of the Weld Club.


Justanids

The Justanids or Jostanids () were an Iranian Zaydi Shia dynasty that ruled a part of Daylam (the mountainous district of Gilan) from 791 to the late 11th-century.
History.
The Justanids appear as kings of Daylam at the end of the 8th century. Their centre was in the Rudbar of Alamut, running into the valley of the Shahrood. Two centuries later, this had become the main centre of the historical Nizari Ismailis or Assassins ("Hashshashin"), as they are known in the west. They appear in Islamic history as part of what Vladimir Minorsky has called "the Iranian Intermezzo". This refers to a period in which indigenous Daylamite and Kurdish principalities took power in northwest Persia after two to three centuries of Arab rule. The Daylamite upsurge eventually culminated in the Buyid dynasty.
After Marzuban ibn Justan converted to Islam in 805, the ancient family of Justans became connected to the Zaydi Alids of the Daylam region. The Justanids adopted the Zaydi form of Shi'ism. In the 10th century, they were eclipsed by the Daylamite dynasty of Sallarids in Tarom (modern Iranian province of Zanjan). Nevertheless, the Justanids were tied by marriage with the Sallarids and preserved their seat of Rudbar in the highlands of Daylam. They also became allies with the Buyids. In the 11th century, they may have recognized the suzerainty of the Ghaznavids. Later, they recognized the suzerainty of the Seljuqs, but, shortly after, they fade from history.


Tel Aviv Pride

Tel Aviv Pride (Hebrew: מצעד הגאווה בתל אביב, Arabic: فخر تل أبيب) is a week-long series of events in Tel Aviv which takes place on the second week of June, as part of the international observance of Gay Pride Month. The key event, taking place on the Friday, is the Pride Parade itself which attracts over 250,000 attendees. As of June 2019, it is the largest LGBT Parade in Asia.
Historical background.
Gay rights in Israel have progressed drastically since the years following the British Mandate over Palestine, when homosexuality was outlawed. The clause stated that “every man who allowed another man to have intercourse with him risked up to ten years of imprisonment.” In the 1960s, the Israeli Minister of Internal Affairs, Dr. Yosef Burg, described the phrase of "homosexual Jews" as an oxymoron given the biblical rejection of queer behavior. This provides a framework for the negative perceptions of homosexuality amongst Israeli politicians in the past. The legal code in Israel that once outlawed homosexuality was changed on March 22, 1988, effectively decriminalizing being gay.
The terms "pride" and "proud", in this context, seem to have been created in Israel, as the result of similarity of words. Since homosexuals were labeled "gay" in the United States and elsewhere, Hebrew-speaking people noticed the vocal similarity of the English word "gay" to the Hebrew word "גֵאה," pronounced "geh-eh", which means "proud". Israeli LGBTQ people soon transformed it to "proud", which evidently and understandably matched their own perceptions. Thus the labels "proud" and "Pride Parade" emerged spontaneously and became international.
Pride Parade.
The first event that many consider to be the first 'Pride' event to take place in Israel was a protest in 1979 at Rabin Square. The first time that the Tel Aviv Pride Parade took place was in 1993.
The parade assembles and begins at Meir Park, then travels along Bugrashov Street, Ben Yehuda Street and Ben Gurion Boulevard, and culminates in a party in Charles Clore Park on the seafront. There were 200,000 participants reported in 2016, making it one of the largest in the world. The parade is the biggest pride celebration in continental Asia, drawing more than 200,000 people in 2017, approximately 30,000 of them tourists. There were more than 250,000 participants reported in both 2018 and 2019. As of June 2019, it is the largest LGBTQ event in Asia and also the first city in Israel to host a Pride parade. Smaller annual pride parades are also held in Jerusalem, Haifa and Be'er Sheva.
As a part of Tel Aviv culture.
In the early years of the Pride Parade, the majority of participants were politically motivated. Later on, as the Parade grew, people who took part came with the notion that the Parade should focus on LGBT rights, equality and equal representation, and should not be used as a stage for radical politics, which are not accepted by most of the Parade's participants. Gradually, the Parade came to be less political due to the scale and diversity of participation. In recent years, the Parade's reputation for inclusiveness, along with Tel Aviv's world-class status as a gay-friendly destination and a top party city, has attracted more than 100,000 participants, many of them from around the world.
By 2000, the Parade had evolved from being a political demonstration and became more of a social-entertainment event and street celebration.
The eleventh Tel Aviv Pride Parade, which took place in 2008, was accompanied by the opening of the LGBT Centre in Tel Aviv. This is the first municipal gay centre in Israel, whose purpose is to provide services specifically for members of the city's LGBT community such as health care, cultural events, meetings of different LGBT groups, a coffee shop, and many others.
During the 2009 Pride Parade, which coincided with the centennial celebration of Tel Aviv's historic establishment as a city, five same-sex couples got married in what was called "the wedding of the century" by the Israeli celebrity Gal Uchovsky.
The parade on 10 June 2011 grew to an estimated 100,000 participants and included official representatives of LGBT groups from global companies such as Google and Microsoft. (Tel Aviv boasts one of the largest concentrations of hi-tech companies of any city in the world.)
In 2012, the parade attracted crowds exceeding 100,000, making it again the largest gay pride event in the Middle East and Asia. The event is advertised all around the world by the Israeli Tourism Ministry, marking the city of Tel Aviv as "the" premiere LGBT tourism destination.
For 2014, with an anticipated parade attendance of 150,000, a decision was made to move the after-parade beach party from Gordon Beach to Charles Clore Park. The event was hosted by Israeli actress/supermodel Moran Attias, with performances by Dana International, Mei Feingold, and Ninet.
Criticism of the Parade.
In Israel, LGBT activist groups have also criticized the Ministry of Tourism for disproportionately allocating funds to LGBT tourism as opposed to the real LGBT activist organizations. In 2016, the Ministry of Tourism spent $3 million on a campaign that concluded with a press release advertising a rainbow adorned airplane that the Ministry was going to use to transport gay bloggers and journalists to Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli LGBT organizations only receive one tenth of the amount budgeted for this advertisement on a yearly basis. This disproportionate spending angered leaders of the LGBT organizations and caused Chen Arieli and Imri Kalman, who were the co-chairs of The Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force, to threaten to cancel the parade. The parade still took place that year, but the main outcome of this threat was that the Ministry of Tourism suspended its budget to attract gay tourism and added separate items to its budget for the LGBT organizations.
Support for the Parade.
Proponents of the Pride Parade argue that it is an effective mechanism of integrating the LGBTQ community into Israeli society. While the parade could have resulted in increased homophobia and anti-gay sentiment, it has fostered positive intergroup relationships. The parade is also supported financially and logistically by the Tel Aviv City Hall. This was the outcome of consistent requests made by Aguda, Israel's LGBT Task Force, in the first five years of the parade's existence.


Alona Tal

Alona Tal (, ; born ) is an Israeli actress and singer. She is known for her roles in "Veronica Mars" as cheerleader Meg Manning and in "Supernatural" as budding monster hunter Jo Harvelle.
Early life.
Tal was born and raised in Herzliya, Israel. She is Jewish and has described herself as a "spiritual person". Her father Ami Tal is a computer professional of Sephardic Jewish (Turkish-Jewish) descent, whose original surname was "Mizrahi". Her mother Ayala (née Sabat) is a lawyer and is also Jewish. Both her parents were born in Israel.
She served in the Israel Defense Forces's military theatre.
Career.
Tal started her career after her military service, with a children's musical video tape in which she played an evil witch. Following that, she appeared in a commercial for a laundry detergent, and then appeared in the lead role in the Israeli film "Lihiyot Kochav" ("To Be A Star").
During the filming of the movie Tal was offered two roles in two different Israeli television shows, and she took both. The first was a soap opera named "Tzimerim," about the life of a family that runs a hotel; the second one was "HaPijamot" ("The Pyjamas"), a sitcom about a struggling band determined to make it in the real world. She took part in the first three seasons and later took part as a guest star which gave her the chance to show her musical talent. Although she was the main character only in the first three seasons, she appeared in the fourth season for several episodes.
Tal also appeared in the music video for Final Warning, by Skylar Grey.
Tal moved to New York City, where she met singer Wyclef Jean and recorded a song with him (the song "Party to Damascus" has Tal singing the chorus in Hebrew).
She landed a role on "Veronica Mars," that of Meg Manning, one of Veronica Mars's few friends. She also played the recurring role Jo Harvelle on the second, fifth, and seventh seasons of "Supernatural." Tal also guest-starred on the series finale of "Monk" as Adrian Monk's stepdaughter, Molly Evans. In 2010, she performed the voice of Catherine-B320 (also known as Kat) in the video game "." In 2013, she starred in the mystery series "Cult". She played the role of "Sonya" in the seventh and final season of "Burn Notice".
In November 2020, Tal was cast as Ivy in the second season of the drama series "Truth be Told."
Personal life.
On March 23, 2005, Tal married fellow American actor Marcos A. Ferraez. Tal announced on October 23, 2016, at a "Supernatural" panel that she was expecting her first child. She celebrated her pregnancy with a baby shower on January 29, 2017. Guests included fellow Israeli actresses Gal Gadot and Noa Tishby. She gave birth to a daughter in March 2017.


Emil Ghuri

Emil Ghuri (, alternatively spelled Emil Ghoury) (1907–1984), a Palestinian Christian who was Secretary-General of the Arab Higher Committee (AHC), the official leadership of the Arabs in British Mandate of Palestine. He was also the Secretary-general of the Palestine Arab Party.
In May 1947 Ghuri was nominated by the AHC as a member of its delegation to represent it before the United Nations in its special session for Palestine. Other people nominated for this delegation were Jamal al-Husayni, Henry Cattan, Wasef Kamal, Issa Nakhleh, Rasem Khalidi.


Marshall Islands District


Julius Ellsberry

Julius Ellsberry (August 22, 1921 – December 7, 1941) was an American killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the first Alabamian killed in World War II, and one of the first Americans to die in the Pacific during World War II. He was killed while aboard .
Early life.
Ellsberry was born in Birmingham, Alabama and was a 1938 graduate of Parker High School.
Military career.
Ellsberry enlisted in the United States Navy in 1940, and was serving aboard the USS "Oklahoma" (BB-37) as a Mess Attendant First Class when it was bombed by Japanese planes in the surprise attack on December 7, 1941. He and 413 other crewmen were killed aboard the battleship. He was awarded a posthumous Purple Heart in honor of his sacrifice.
A Navy press release followed shortly after the announcement of Ellsberry's death describing the heroism of another black seaman, then unidentified. Mess Attendant Second Class Doris Miller assumed control of a deck gun on the USS West Virginia (BB-48) after the gunner was killed and helped defend the ship. Media reports at the time often credited Ellsberry with Miller's heroism and the misidentification still sometimes persists.
Legacy.
The "Birmingham World" labeled Ellsberry "the Crispus Attucks of World War II". Birmingham's Black community raised over $300,000 in war bond purchases toward the completion of a B-24 Liberator named "The Spirit of Ellsberry".
Birmingham's Ellsberry Park near Finley Boulevard north of downtown was dedicated in his honor in 1979. A marker honoring Ellsberry's sacrifice has also been erected in Kelly Ingram Park, which is named for fellow Navy veteran and Birmingham native Osmond Kelly Ingram, the first American killed in World War I.


Trebizond Campaign

The Trebizond Campaign, also known as the Battle of Trebizond, was a series of successful Russian naval and land operations that resulted in the capture of Trabzon. It was the logistical step after the Erzerum Campaign. Operations began on February 5 and concluded when the Ottoman troops abandoned Trabzon on the night of April 15, 1916.
Effect on Armenians.
Prior to World War I, the vibrant Armenian community of Trabzon numbered 30,000. In 1915, during the Armenian Genocide, they were massacred and deported. After the Russian capture of Trabzon, some 500 surviving Armenians were able to return, as well as Armenian monks of the Kaymakli Monastery.


Ruben II, Prince of Armenia

Ruben II (), also Roupen II or Rupen II, (c.1165–1170) was the seventh lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” (1169–1170).
Roupen was the son of Thoros II, lord of Armenian Cilicia, by his second wife (and great niece) whose name is unknown. Thoros II abdicated in favour of his young son Roupen in 1169, and placed Roupen under the guardianship of the Regent Thomas (Thomas was the child’s maternal grandfather). However, Thoros II’s brother, Mleh disputed the succession; Mleh had fled to Nur ed-Din (the emir of Aleppo) and become Muslim after quarreling with Thoros II and attempting to assassinate him.
Mleh refused an amicable settlement with Regent Thomas regarding the succession to the leadership of Cilicia and invaded the country with a force provided by Nur ed-Din. Fearing for Roupen’s life, Thomas entrusted the young child into the care of the patriarch Nerses IV Shnorhali in Hromkla (today "Rumkale" in Turkey) and fled to Antioch. This measure of caution, however, did not save the life of the young Roupen, who was followed by his uncle’s men and murdered at Hromgla.


Ruben Zackhras

Ruben R. Zackhras (4 December 1947 – 1 January 2019) was a Marshallese politician. He was acting President of the Marshall Islands from 21 October 2009 to 26 October 2009. He previously served as Finance Minister from 1989 to 1997.
Zackhras, graduated from the University of Guam in 1971 holding a BA in Public Administration, served in Marshallese politics for 34 years and in the Nitijela from 1979 to 2015, and served as a representative of Ailinglaplap Atoll. His initial political career was combined with his role as a teacher. He was elected to the Marshallese constitutional convention in 1977. He was appointment as Minister of Transportation and Communication in 1979. From 1982 Zackhras was appointed as minister of Transportation and Communication, Interior and Outer Island Affairs, Justice and Health & Environment, until his appointment in 1989 as Minister of Finance. In the year of 2000, Zackhras was elected as deputy speaker of the Nitijela serving until 2007.
Zackhras served as Minister in Assistance to former president Litokwa Tomeing until Tomeing was ousted in the country's first successful vote of no confidence against a sitting president on 21 October 2009. The Speaker of the Nitijela, Jurelang Zedkaia, appointed Zackhras as the acting president of the Marshall Islands until new presidential elections could be held. Zackhras remained acting President until 26 October 2009, when Jurelang Zedkaia was elected as President by the Nitijela. Zackhras was subsequently appointed as Minister in Assistance to the President of Jurelang Zedkaia and served until January 2012. He was appointed as the ambassador to Fiji by President Hilda Heine, and held that position until his death.
Zackhas died of cancer on 1 January 2019 in Hawaii, United States, aged 71.
He was member of the United Democratic Party. Mattlan Zackhras was his son.


John Mangefel

John de Avila Mangefel (died April 10, 2007) was a Micronesian politician, who played an important role during the first days of Micronesian independence and in the Trust Territory period that preceded them.
Mangefel was the first college graduate from Yap, with a major in English literature from the University of Hawaii. He was elected to the Senate of Micronesian Congress from Yap district. He served as first Governor of Yap from January 8, 1979 to January 12, 1987, a senator during the Trust Territory period, and in addition served as FSM National Planner, Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and also at the Office of the President as the Disaster Coordinator.


Crough Seamount

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Crough Seamount (named after the geologist Thomas Crough) is a seamount in the Pacific Ocean, within the exclusive economic zone of Pitcairn. It rises to a depth of and is paired with a taller but overall smaller seamount to the east. This seamount has a flat top and probably formed an island in the past. It is about 7-8 million years old, although a large earthquake recorded at its position in 1955 may indicate a recent eruption.
The seamount appears to be part of a long geological lineament with the neighbouring Henderson and Ducie islands, as well as the southern Tuamotus and Line Islands. Such a lineament may have been generated by a hotspot; the nearby Easter hotspot is a candidate hotspot.
Geology and geomorphology.
Regional.
The region lies between and around the islands of Pitcairn and Easter Island. There, the East Pacific Rise is interrupted by a trapezoid microplate known as the Easter Microplate about wide. Seafloor spreading occurs at a rate of about .
There is a topographic swell that connects the two islands and continues eastward towards Sala y Gomez. The origin of this swell and the various volcanoes and seamounts associated with it has been variously explained as either being due to a mantle plume which forms volcanoes that are then carried away through plate motion or by a "hot line" where a number of simultaneously active volcanic centres develop. This geological lineament may extend all the way to Tonga.
Crough seamount was probably formed by the Easter hotspot that also generated Easter Island albeit with the participation of a nearby fracture zone that modified the trend of the hotspot path. In this case the Easter Island-Sala y Gomez ridge and the Crough Seamount would be conjugate volcanic ridges paired across the East Pacific Rise. although it is possible that two separate hotspots were active on the eastern and western side of the East Pacific Rise. Another theory postulates that Crough was formed by its own hotspot, the Crough hotspot.
Together with Ducie and Henderson Crough forms a long westward trending lineament with each volcano becoming older the farther west it lies, and which may be a prolongation of the southern Tuamotus which were generated by the same hotspot. Even farther west the hotspot track may include Oeno, Minerve Reef, Marutea, Acton, Rangiroa and the Line Islands, although a continuation through the Line Islands is problematic if it is assumed that the Easter hotspot generated this track but more plausible if Crough seamount is supposed to be its own hotspot. East of Crough, a series of even younger volcanic ridges continues until the East Pacific Rise where the hotspot may be located. The Crough hotspot may be a conjugate of the Easter hotspot.
Local.
Crough is an east-west trending seamount which rises over from the seafloor to a depth of less than at . It has a flat top and the presence of coral sands indicates that Crough once emerged above sea level before subsiding to its present depth, having formerly hosted corals and pteropods. Wave erosion that took place when Crough emerged above sea level truncated the seamount, turning it into a flat guyot. Pillow lavas crop out between . Crough Seamount has a volume of , comparable to that of other submarine volcanoes such as Macdonald seamount, Mehetia and Moua Pihaa.
A second seamount lies nearby and partly overlaps with Crough, it is named Thomas Seamount in honour of a geophysicist. This seamount is even shallower than Crough as it reaches a depth of but has a smaller volume of .
Composition.
Dredging has yielded both vesicular and porphyritic basalt. Phenocrysts identified include clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase. Carbonates and hyaloclastites have also been found, and some samples were covered with manganese crusts and palagonite. Hydrothermal iron crusts have also been found.
Eruption history.
Argon-argon dating has yielded ages of 8.4 to 7.6 million years ago for samples dredged from Crough, while other geological indicators suggest an age of between 7 and 10 million years ago. Other estimates of its age are 4-3 million years.
In 1955, a strong earthquake was recorded on the northern flank of Crough Seamount; the characteristics of the earthquake resemble these of volcanic processes and it is thus possible that Crough Seamount is still active. Such activity may constitute a post-shield stage of volcanism. The earthquake has also been interpreted as a normal fault earthquake which sometimes occur in young oceanic crust, but the 1955 Crough event was considerably stronger than other earthquakes of this type.


Soterichos Panteugenos

Soterichos Panteugenos () was a Byzantine cleric and theologian who was briefly Patriarch-elect of Antioch in 1156–57.
Life.
Originally a deacon of the Hagia Sophia, Panteugenos was elected as Patriarch of Antioch in 1156, but was quickly embroiled in a raging Christological controversy, siding with the rhetoricians Michael of Thessalonica and Nikephoros Basilakes, who strongly distinguished between the persons of the Holy Trinity and argued that the Eucharist was offered to God the Father alone. Panteugenos set forth his arguments in the form of a Platonic dialogue, which was acknowledged as a brilliant work even by his detractors.
This work is now lost, and its contents known only from the polemical attacks on it by Panteugenos' opponents, chiefly Nicholas of Methone. Reportedly, Panteugenos strictly distinguished the Father from Christ (the Son), who through his Crucifixion offered himself as a sacrifice to his father. As a result, in Panteugenos doctrine, humanity exchanged substance by physically incorporating the Son, and became a sort of partner to God the Father. This notion was anathema to many Orthodox theologians, and his views were condemned by a Church synod, but Panteugenos demanded the right to defend his views before Emperor Manuel I Komnenos.
As Paul Magdalino comments, Panteugenos was not any cleric. The see to which he had been elected was highly sensitive politically, as the right to appoint an Orthodox prelate to the patriarchal see of Antioch had been a core demand of Byzantine policy versus the Crusader Principality of Antioch since the Treaty of Devol in 1108. Indeed, when he secured the submission and recognition of his overlordship by Prince Raynald of Châtillon in 1158, the obligation to accept a patriarch appointed by Constantinople was one of the terms imposed on Raynald. This shows that Panteugenos had good connections at court, while it is also clear that his views had some support among the clergy. Magdalino even suggests that Panteugenos, with his "powerful intellect", was the driving figure behind the theological controversies that destabilized the Orthodox Church in the period 1143–1157.
The result was the Council of Blachernae in May 1157, before an assembly of senior courtiers and clergy. After Michael and Basilakes recanted, Panteugenos stubbornly defended his views even against the Emperor, until he too was persuaded to confess to error. After that, the most senior of the prelates present, including the patriarchs of Constantinople and Jerusalem, and the Archbishop of Bulgaria, demanded his dismissal, which was announced the next day.


USS Bagley (DD-386)

USS "Bagley" (DD-386), a , was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Ensign Worth Bagley, officer during the Spanish–American War, distinguished as the only U.S. naval officer killed in action during that war.
"Bagley" (DD-386) was laid down on 31 July 1935 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia; launched on 3 September 1936; sponsored by Miss Bella Worth Bagley, sister of Ensign Bagley; and commissioned on 12 June 1937, Lieutenant Commander Earl W. Morris in command.
Service history.
Inter-War Period.
"Bagley" worked extensively in the Atlantic before being sent to Pearl Harbor in 1940. She rotated occasionally between there and the Californian coast. By December 1941, "Bagley" was operating locally out of Pearl Harbor. Frequent exercises with DesDiv 7 were interspersed with carrier task force evolutions centered around and . The pace of these operations intensified as American economic sanctions, instituted in response to Japanese actions in China and French Indochina, provoked Japanese protests. On 3 December during an antiaircraft practice at sea with DesDiv 8, "Bagley"s starboard side bilge keel tore loose. The destroyer slowed to and changed course for Oahu, mooring at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard the following morning. On 6 December, the warship shifted berths starboard side to berth B-22 in Southeast Loch. By this time, "Bagley" had gone cold iron, receiving electricity, steam, and fresh water from the dock.
World War II.
Pearl Harbor.
At 0755 on 7 December, shortly before morning colors, Japanese aircraft from six fleet carriers struck the Pacific Fleet as it lay in port at Pearl Harbor. Onboard "Bagley", Radio Seaman Recruit Robert P. Coles from Machias, Maine exited the port side mess decks and saw the Japanese planes attacking Hickam Field. Realizing it was not fleet maneuvers he broke open the 50 caliber forward port ready service locker and opened fire and hit the first two Torpedo Bombers attacking Battleship Row. He was relieved by Chief Gunners Mate Skinner who, as noted in official records, fired at the third plane to attack.
The crew first saw dive bombers in action over nearby Hickam Field and then witnessed a Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo planes pass down Southeast Loch and torpedo moored off Ford Island. The destroyer immediately went to general quarters, firing her .50-caliber machine guns at the torpedo-carrying Nakajimas passing down the port side to attack the American battleships. Shortly after 0800, a second "Kate"'s torpedo exploded in the bank about thirty feet ahead of "Bagley".
During the second phase of the attack, which began about 0840, "Bagley"s crew fired on Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers attacking Ford Island and the navy yard dry docks. Her gunners claimed to have splashed at least six aircraft that morning; but, given the intensity of antiaircraft fire from all ships, her "kills" cannot be conclusively proven. At 0940, the warship headed for the channel and the open sea, leaving her commanding officer, executive officer, and gunnery officer ashore. "Bagley", under the temporary command of Lieutenant Philip W. Cann, paused only long enough to pick up the skipper of destroyer , who was subsequently transferred to his own ship at sea.
1942.
"Bagley" covered the arrival of TF 14 at Pearl Harbor four days after Christmas. The next day, the destroyer sailed with to patrol west of Oahu, covering the islands while two carrier groups escorted reinforcements to Samoa. On 11 January 1942, however, a single torpedo from hit and damaged the aircraft carrier. "Bagley" returned to Pearl Harbor with the injured "Saratoga" and, taking advantage of the opportunity, underwent a restricted availability at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard between 23 January and 3 February, adding four 20-millimeter machine guns to her antiaircraft battery.
Departing Oahu on the last day of January, "Bagley" joined TF 11, comprising "Lexington", four cruisers and nine destroyers, to cover transports delivering reinforcements to Christmas Island, Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands, and New Caledonia. Worried about Japanese intentions in the Fiji-New Caledonia area, TF 11 joined the ANZAC cruiser force, , , HMNZS "Leander" with and two destroyers, on 16 February. Shortly thereafter, the task force turned to the northwest and headed for Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.
On 20 February, at 1707, the destroyer opened fire on a second wave of nine bombers with her 20-millimeter battery, joining the barrage of antiaircraft fire around "Lexington". Minutes after that, one bomber attempted to crash Bagley's stern, but fire from helped splash the "Betty" some distant on the starboard quarter.
Upkeep and repair, punctuated by a dry dock period, kept the destroyer's crew busy for the next month. "Bagley" took departure from Pearl Harbor on 30 April, carrying mail and passengers to Palmyra Island, Christmas Island, and the Society Islands. Off Bora Bora on 9 May, she rendezvoused with and escorted her to the Fiji Islands, arriving at Nukualofa Bay, Tongatapu, on 15 May. The destroyer then spent a week patrolling outside the harbor, protecting departing convoys from enemy submarines, before continuing on alone to Brisbane, Australia, arriving there on 30 May.
Assigned to the Southwest Pacific Force (TF 44), "Bagley" protected convoys in the approaches to Australia, searched for submarine contacts during two patrol sweeps with , and conducted night battle practice and other exercises with the cruisers of TF 44 through mid-July. On the 17th, she departed Brisbane for New Zealand, arriving in Auckland on 20 July. There, she joined TF 62 and began preparations for Operation Watchtower, the invasion of Guadalcanal.
"Bagley" steamed to the Fiji Islands, in company with cruisers "Chicago", , "Australia", , , eight other destroyers, and 12 transports. Joined by other convoy elements on the 26th, including three more cargo ships, "Bagley" guarded the transports as they conducted rehearsal landings at Koro Island. The task force then proceeded to the Solomon Islands, arriving in the transport area off Lunga Point, Guadalcanal, on 7 August.
Assigned to "Southern Force", one of three picket patrols, "Bagley" and "Patterson" accompanied "Australia", "Canberra", and "Chicago" in protecting the transports south of Tulagi.
"Australia", with Rear Admiral Victor Alexander Charles Crutchley, RN, on board, left formation for a command conference at Lunga Roads at 2130. Just over two hours later, with visibility low owing to overcast sky and rain showers, unidentified ships loomed into view about distant on the port bow. These were seven Japanese cruisers and a destroyer under Rear Admiral Gunichi Mikawa sent from Rabaul to attack the American transports. At that moment, 0144 according to "Bagley"s log, float planes from the Japanese cruisers dropped flares that lit up the American warships.
"Bagley" turned sharply to the left to bring the starboard torpedo tubes to bear on the Japanese warships looming out of the darkness but, either due to the torpedoes not being armed in time or because the ship turned too quickly for the torpedo tubes to be aimed properly, she continued her turn and fired four torpedoes to the northwest from number two port mount. Although the torpedomen claimed hits a few minutes later, no Japanese ships were damaged by torpedoes in that area. It is possible, but unconfirmed, that one or two of "Bagley's" torpedoes may have hit "Canberra" on her starboard side. "Bagley" then turned left again and her gunners scanned the passage between Guadalcanal and Savo Island; but, as the Japanese cruiser force had already passed by to the north, they saw no enemy ships. She then steamed to the northwest, toward the designated destroyer rendezvous point, and at about 0300 came across the heavily damaged and burning . That warship, along with and , had been mortally wounded in the short, but violent, Battle of Savo Island before the Japanese force retired to Rabaul.
"Bagley" came alongside "Astoria" and rescued about 400 survivors—including 185 wounded—from the stricken warship, out of the water or from nearby rafts. With daylight, "Bagley" delivered a salvage party of 325 men to "Astoria" to fight fires, plug holes and raise steam. The effort ultimately failed, and the cruiser sank that afternoon. Meanwhile, "Bagley's" medical officer and pharmacist's mates treated shell-fragment lacerations and second-degree burns before the wounded were transferred to that afternoon. "Bagley" then withdrew to Nouméa with TF 62, mooring there on 13 August.
1943.
On 15 March 1943, "Bagley" executed orders reassigning her to TF 74 as the newly created 7th Fleet readied itself for offensive operations in New Guinea. Underway from Townsville on 27 June, "Bagley", in company with "Henley" and SC-749, escorted six LSTs carrying 2,600 Army troops and airfield equipment to Woodlark Island. While the destroyers patrolled south of the island, the landing proceeded without Japanese interference on the night of 30 June and 1 July. "Bagley" escorted three more echelons of LSTs from Townsville to Woodlark between 9 July and 7 August; all arrived safely, and the fighter airstrip became operational on 23 July. The destroyer then escorted between Milne Bay, Cairns, and Brisbane, arriving at the last port on 15 August.
"Bagley" steamed back to New Guinea late in the month, delivering a convoy to Milne Bay on 1 October. She quickly returned to Townsville to pick up another convoy, escorting it safely into Milne Bay on the 8th. Sailing again to Australia, this time to Brisbane, the destroyer shepherded a third convoy from Townsville to Milne Bay between 25 and 29 October. After moving to Buna on 8 November, "Bagley" helped escort a convoy of three LSTs to Finschhafen, delivering supplies to the Australian 20th Brigade on the 11th. Over the next four weeks, the destroyer escorted six more reinforcement convoys out of Buna; three to Finschhafen, one to Lae, one to Woodlark Island, and the last to Cape Cretin on 12 December.
After steaming to Buna on 23 December, "Bagley" joined the seven LSTs of TU 76.1.41, carrying the 7th echelon of 1st Marine Division's engineers, artillery, and stores for the Cape Gloucester operation. The crew watched the heavy cruisers bombard the beach at 0600 on 26 December, and then "Bagley" screened the LSTs as they landed troops and equipment. That afternoon, around 1430, a large Japanese air raid attacked the task force, sinking and damaging . Later that evening, "Bagley's" crew saw friendly fighters splash three "Betty" bombers over the beachhead. Returning to Buna on 28 December, "Bagley" then helped leapfrog elements of the 32nd Infantry Division to Saidor, New Guinea, bypassing a strong Japanese garrison at Sio. The third echelon convoy landed troops and equipment without incident on 2 January 1944.
1944.
Ordered "to act as stand-by escort for supply echelons", the destroyer delivered a convoy of LSTs to Saidor on 5 February and the next day, in company with and two LSTs, steamed for Cape Gloucester. She departed the region on 10 February, steaming east for the west coast of the United States.
Arriving in San Francisco on 27 February, after stops at Florida Island, Guadalcanal, Palmyra, and Pearl Harbor, Bagley entered the Mare Island Navy Yard for a major overhaul on the 28th. Over the next eight weeks, she added two more 20 mm guns (for a total of six) and an improved fire control radar while a twin 40 mm gun tub was placed forward of the two after guns.
Underway for Hawaii on 5 May, Bagley began training at sea for Operation "Forager", the planned invasion of the Marianas. Arriving at Pearl Harbor on the 10th, the destroyer conducted screen, antiaircraft, and shore bombardment drills before sailing for the Marshall Islands on 29 May. Anchoring in Majuro Atoll on 3 June, Bagley joined one of the four fast carrier task groups, putting out to sea with and TG 58.2 on the 8th.
Saipan.
The destroyer then moved to the transport area on 15 June, screening the initial landings on Saipan before returning to the bombardment group on the 17th. From that screening position "Bagley" participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Although primarily an air battle—later dubbed "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot"—in which most of the several hundred Japanese plane casualties were lost to American fighters, several small groups of Japanese aircraft broke through the CAP. These were mostly driven off by intense antiaircraft fire from the battleships and destroyers. "Bagley" fired on three planes that day, lobbing 24 5 inch shells at a "Val" and a "Kate" at a range of astern and another 147 20 mm and 40 mm shells at a Zero that passed distant to starboard. In the following days, the destroyer continued to screen the battleships as they vainly chased the retreating Japanese.
On 25 June, the destroyer returned to the Marianas for two weeks of call-fire assignments in support of Marine Corps operations. Under the direction of fire control units ashore, "Bagley" fired over 700 5 inch rounds of high-explosive, white phosphorus, and starshell into the final pocket of Japanese resistance at the north end of Saipan. On 6 July, after receiving more ammunition from , she closed shore and fired on "caves and crevasses near waters edge on Saipan", expending 537 5-inch and over 1,000 rounds of 20-millimeter and 40 mm shells.
"Bagley" screened "Enterprise" during the strikes on Okinawa and the smaller Ryukyus on 10 September. This was followed by a raid on Aparri in the Philippines on the 11th before the large-scale effort to destroy Japanese air power on Formosa began on 12th.
Leyte Gulf.
"Bagley"s only part in the Battle for Leyte Gulf was to join the ad hoc cruiser-destroyer group dispatched in futile pursuit of the retreating flattops, mere decoys with only half their air component on board. With the Battle for Leyte Gulf over on 25 October, and the surviving Japanese naval forces in retreat, "Bagley" rejoined the carriers as they stood by to support ground operations on Leyte. In order to destroy Japanese aircraft staging into the central Philippines, TG 38.4 launched attacks on Luzon from its patrol area east of Leyte Gulf on 30 October.
Arriving at Ulthui 2 November, "Bagley" received four days of overhaul from tender "Markab" (AD-21). The destroyer then sailed on the 10th with TU 77.4.1, built around and , to provide air support for Leyte ground operations. Retiring to Seeadler Harbor on the 27th, the destroyer spent the next month training, or receiving repairs from , all in preparation for Operation Musketeer, the landings on Luzon, Philippine Islands. On 27 December, the destroyer got underway for the Palaus, arriving there on the 30th.
1945.
The 12 escort carriers of TG 77.2 and 77.4, and their screen of 19 destroyers, including "Bagley", sortied from Kossol Roads on 1 January 1945. The group entered Leyte Gulf on the 3rd and steamed on to the Mindanao Sea, heading for Lingayen Gulf to provide air support for amphibious operations. Late in the afternoon of the 4th, after a day of false alarms and "snooper" alerts, a single twin-engine Japanese "kamikaze" crashed into , setting off explosions and fires which destroyed that escort carrier.
The next day, after the force entered the South China Sea, four Japanese kamikaze raids attacked the American warships. Although the first two waves were driven off by CAP, "Bagley"s crew saw suicide planes from the third attack crash , , "Australia", and , damaging the latter badly enough to force her retirement to Leyte. "Bagley" screened the escort carriers between 6 January, when they began flying ground-attack missions over the Lingayen beaches, and 13 January when the next "kamikaze" plane attacked the group. Just after 0900, an undetected plane surprised and crashed into , causing extensive damage. Several more closed the formation at 0908, and one Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar" made a run toward "Bagley". All guns that could bear opened fire at , and the plane splashed about out on the port beam. The next four days passed without any Japanese attacks, and the task group retired to Ulithi, arriving there on the 23rd. With Philippine operations well underway, "Bagley" was assigned to the next major amphibious operation, the landings planned for Iwo Jima in February.
On 21 February, after a mere six days to conduct repairs and replenish, the warship embarked upon the last major amphibious operation of the war, the invasion of Okinawa. In company with the escort carriers of TG 52.1, "Bagley" arrived off Okinawa Jima on 25 March. The destroyer screened during ground attack and support operations into April without incident. Over the next several weeks, numerous small Japanese air raids appeared on her radar screen, but only one closed the formation, an ineffective attack by a lone plane on the 12th. On 28 April, while the escort carriers launched raids on Sakishima Gunto, the crew spotted an Ohka "kamikaze" pass harmlessly overhead at .
On 24 May, after "Bagley" "blew out" her number one main generator, she turned toward the Philippines. Arriving in Leyte Gulf on the 27th after 102 days underway at sea, the destroyer went alongside for repairs.
The warship's last combat operation began on 15 June when the destroyer departed Leyte for Kerama Retto. She rendezvoused with the six escort carriers of TG 32.1 on the 18th and supported them during a series of air strikes on Okinawa. A week later, however, "Bagley"s main battery director failed, and she once again retired to Leyte for repairs. After mooring there on 27 June, she went alongside "Yosemite" for three days of availability. As the tender was unable to repair the director, the warship steamed to Saipan on 5 July and thence on to Guam, arriving in Apra harbor on the 6th.
With a new director installed by 14 July, "Bagley" sailed to Saipan on the 15th. Departing the Marianas on 6 August, the warship escorted a convoy of merchant ships to Okinawa on 12 August. Three days later, her crew heard of the Japanese capitulation while shepherding a return convoy back to Saipan. Following 10 days of rest and recreation, "Bagley" embarked Rear Admiral Francis E. M. Whiting and staff for transport to Marcus Island. She arrived there on 31 August, and Japanese Rear Admiral Matsubara Masata surrendered the island and its garrison to Rear Admiral Whiting on board "Bagley".
Returning to Saipan on 2 September, the destroyer then reported to the Commander, 5th Fleet, for extended duty. After a brief stop at Buckner Bay, Okinawa, the destroyer sailed for Japan, arriving in Sasebo on 20 September. "Bagley" spent the next five weeks operating as a minefield marker ship, assisting minesweeping efforts, and providing courier services between Sasebo, Nagasaki, and Wakayama. Several officers also inspected various Japanese naval vessels in port to determine compliance with Allied surrender terms.
Fate.
The destroyer departed Sasebo on 29 October for the United States and, steaming via Pearl Harbor, arrived in San Diego on 19 November. Originally marked for use in experimental testing, probably the two-detonation series of atomic tests held in the summer of 1946 at Bikini Atoll (see Operation Crossroads) in the central Pacific, "Bagley" steamed to Pearl Harbor in late April 1946. The destroyer did not participate in the atomic tests, however, but instead reported for inactivation at Pearl Harbor on 2 May. Decommissioned there on 13 June 1946, she was towed to San Diego for scrap sale. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 25 February 1947, and she was sold to the Moore Dry Dock Company, Oakland, California, on 8 September 1947.
Awards.
"Bagley" earned 12 battle stars for World War II service.


Five Mile Creek

Five Mile Creek is a western television drama series adapted from Louis L'Amour's novel "The Cherokee Trail" and produced in Australia. It starred Liz Burch, Louise Caire Clark, Rod Mullinar, Jay Kerr, Michael Caton, Peter Carroll, Gus Mercurio, Martin Lewis, Priscilla Weems and Nicole Kidman. It also featured a then-unknown Asher Keddie in her film debut. Jonathan Frakes was a guest star as Maggie's estranged husband, Adam Scott. The series aired on the Disney Channel in the US in the 1980s.
Production.
The first two seasons cost $12 million to make. The show was popular on the Disney Channel in the US but struggled in the ratings in Australia.
DVD releases.
Only Season One of "Five Mile Creek" has been released on DVD. No release information is known for Seasons Two and Three on DVD.


The Crouching Beast

The Crouching Beast is a 1935 British war thriller film directed by Victor Hanbury and starring Fritz Kortner, Wynne Gibson and Richard Bird. It was shot at Welwyn Studios with sets designed by the art director Duncan Sutherland. Based on the novel "Clubfoot" by Valentine Williams, the film was distributed by the Hollywood studio RKO Pictures in order to fulfil its British quota. However it was considerably more expensive than many of the quota quickies produced by American companies during the era.
Plot.
In 1915 during the First World War, a British secret agent is killed while stealing secret Turkish plans for the Gallipoli Campaign but manages to pass his information to an American journalist. Travelling to Constantinople she manages to make contact with the British network, but the ruthless head of Turkish intelligence is close on her trail.


Battle of Hunayn

The Battle of Hunayn (, Ghazwah Hunayn) was fought by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and his followers against the Bedouin tribe of Hawazin and its subsection the Thaqif, in 630 CE, in the Hunayn valley, on the route from Mecca to At-Ta’if. The battle ultimately ended in a decisive victory for the Muslims, who captured enormous spoils. It is mentioned in "Surat at-Tawbah" of the Qur’an, and is one of the few battles mentioned by name in the Qur’an.
Preparations.
Background.
The Hawazins had been long-standing enemies of Meccans. They were located north-east of Mecca and their territory sat beside the trade route to Al-Hirah in Iraq. The Hawazins were allied with the Thaqifs, a Hawazin subtribe which had settled in Ta’if, a town south-east of Mecca whose trade routes ran through Hawazin territory. The alliance had engaged in several wars probably concerning trade routes between Ta'if and Mecca. Given this history they saw Muhammad as another powerful Quraishi leader who had come to lead his people. They thought among themselves that a war with Muslims was imminent and that the once-persecuted minority of Muslims had gained the upper hand against their non-Muslim Arab enemies, and they may have wanted to take advantage of the likely chaos in Mecca after the Muslim takeover. Some tribes favoured fighting him and the Muslims. Ahead of these were the tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif. According to the Muslim scholar Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri "They thought that they were too mighty to admit or surrender to such a victory". So, they met Malik bin ‘Awf An-Nasri and made up their minds to proceed fighting against the Muslims. Malik persuaded other tribes to fight and gathered them before him. The confederation of tribes consisting of Nasr, Jusham, Sa‘ad bin Bakr, Bani Hilal, Bani 'Amr bin Amir and Bani 'Awf bin Amir gathered at Autas along with the Thaqif and Hawazin.
On that day Muhammad had twelve thousand armed soldiers under his standard. Out of them ten thousand were those, who had accompanied him from Medina and had taken part in the conquest of Mecca, and the other two thousand were from amongst Quraysh, who had embraced Islam recently. The command of this group rested with Abu Sufyan. In those days such an army was hardly found anywhere and this numerical strength of theirs became the cause of their initial defeat. It was because, contrary to the past, they prided themselves on the large number of their soldiers and ignored the military tactics and principles of war. When Muslim soldiers including the new Meccan converts who saw large number of men they said: "We shan't at all be defeated, because our soldiers far outnumber those of the enemy"
Spy.
The Hawazin and their allies, the Thaqif, began mobilizing their forces when they learned from spies that Muhammad and his army had departed from Medina to begin an assault on Mecca. The confederates apparently hoped to attack the Muslim army while it besieged Mecca. Muhammad, however, uncovered their intentions through his own spies in the camp of the Hawazin, and marched against the Hawazin just two weeks after the conquest of Mecca with a force of 12,000 men. Only four weeks had elapsed since the Muslim forces had left Medina to conquer Mecca.
Course of the battle.
On Wednesday night, the tenth of Shawwal, the Muslim army arrived at Hunain. Malik bin ‘Awf, who had previously entered the valley by night, gave orders to his army of four thousand men to hide inside the valley and lurk for the Muslims on roads, entrances, and narrow hiding places. His orders to his men were to hurl stones at Muslims whenever they caught sight of them and then to make one-man attacks against them.
When Muslims started camping, arrows began showering intensely at them. Their enemy’s battalions started a fierce attack against the Muslims, who had to retreat in disorder and utter confusion.
It is reported that only a few soldiers stayed behind and fought, including Ali bin Abu Talib, the standard bearer, Abbas bin Abdullah, Fadl ibn Abbas, Usamah, and Abu Sufyan bin al-Harith
Ibn Kathir writes that according to Ibn Ishaq, Jabir ibn Abdullah, who witnessed the battle, the Muslim army were panicked by a surprise attack from the enemy and many men fled the battlefield. However, a group of Muhajirun stood firmly and defended the Prophet on the battlefield. These men were Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith, Fadl ibn Abbas, Rabi' ibn al-Harith, Usama ibn Zayd and Ayman ibn Ubayd. Ayman ibn Ubayd was killed that day whilst defending the Prophet Muhammad.
"Come on, people! I am the Messenger of Allah. I am Muhammad, the son of Abdullah." Then Muhammad said "O, Allah, send down Your Help!", later Muslims’ returned to the battlefield. Muhammad, then picking up a handful of earth, hurled it at their faces while saying: "May your faces be shameful." Their eyes were thick with dust and the enemy began to retreat in utter confusion, according to the Muslim scholar Safi-ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri
After the enemy was defeated. About seventy men of Thaqif alone were killed, and the Muslims captured all their riding camels, weapons and cattle.
The Quran verse 9:25 was also revealed in this event according to Muslim scholars:
Some of the enemies fled, and Muhammad chased after them. Similar battalions chased after other enemies, Rabi‘a bin Rafi‘ caught up with Duraid bin As-Simmah who was an old man and killed him. Durayd was an important asset of the pagan forces due to his great number of experiences in battle and knowledge of terrain and war tactics
. This is mentioned by the Muslim jurist Tabari as follows:
Aftermath.
Because Malik ibn Awf al-Nasri had brought the families and flocks of the Hawazin along, the Muslims were able to capture huge spoils. 6,000 prisoners taken and 24,000 camels were captured. Some Bedouins fled, and split into two groups. One group went back, resulting in the Battle of Autas, while the larger group found refuge at al-Ta'if, where Muhammad besieged them. William Montgomery Watt states that Muhammad took on the role as the hero of Meccans by facing their Bedouin arch-enemies, the Hawazins and the Thaqifs of the city of al-Ta'if.
Islamic Primary sources.
The event is mentioned in the Sunni Hadith collection Sahih Bukhari as follows:
The event is also in Imam Maliks Al-Muwatta as follows:


Tosiwo Nakayama

Tosiwo Nakayama (November 23, 1931 – March 29, 2007) was the first President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). He served two terms from 1979 until 1987.
Biography.
Nakayama was born on November 23, 1931, on Piserach Island, part of Nomwunweito Atoll in what is now Chuuk State. At the time of his birth it formed part of the Japanese-administered South Seas Mandate. He had a Japanese father and a native mother. and is the older brother of FSM's ambassador to Japan, Masao Nakayama.
In 1955 he was awarded a Trust Territory Scholarship that allowed him to study for two years at University High School and for two years at the University of Hawaii. Upon his return in 1958 from his formal education experience he was appointed as the Supervisor of Adult Education. He was later appointed as the Political and Economic Advisor to the District Administration. Later he served his people in the Truk District Legislature and was President of that assembly from 1960 to 1961.
After his term in Truk, he was appointed as the Micronesian Advisor to the United States Delegation to the United Nations Trusteeship Council after which he returned to Micronesia by way of Europe and Asia. In 1962 he was elected by the people to the Council of Micronesia and served there until 1963. In the following year, he was appointed as the Assistant District Administrator for Public Affairs - Truk. On September 10, 1963, he was married Miter Haruo in Chuuk.
In 1965 he was elected to the House of Delegates of the Congress of Micronesia. During the organizational meeting of that body, he was again elected President of the Senate. He also served as a member of the Truk District Scholarship Committee, the Truk Review Advisory Board, the Truk District Recreational Committee, the Truk Board of Education, as well as many other boards and committees.
In May 1979, statehood was declared for Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae as the Federated State of Micronesia, and an elected Congress was seated. From their number, Nakayama was elected President of the new nation.
He oversaw the orderly transfer of governmental functions from the United States of America from 1979 to 1986 and served on until 1987, his maximum constitutionally allowable term. In October 1987 he took a position with the Bank of Guam, Chuuk Branch as the Vice President for Governmental Affairs, a position he held until December 2003.
His health began to fail in 1992 when he had his first stroke from which he recovered well. In 1998 he had quintuple bypass surgery. Sometime later he had laser surgery on one of his eyes which left him partially blind. In the summer of 2005, he underwent surgery for a pacemaker in order to stimulate his weak heart. Three days after that surgery he had an additional stroke that left him paralyzed and unable to speak though he was completely cognizant. The 14th Congress of the FSM passed a bill in July 2006 that allocated money to help the family with mounting medical bills. In February 2007 he was admitted in the hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. He subsequently died on 29 March.