Baron Blood

Baron Blood is the name of several fictional supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history.
Created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins, the original incarnation first appeared in "The Invaders" #7 (July 1976). A second incarnation created by Thomas and Jackson Guice appeared in "Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme" (vol. 3) #10 (Dec. 1989), and further incarnations, including a female version called Baroness Blood, were created by Ben Raab and John Cassaday for "Union Jack" #1-3 (December 1998-February 1999), based on characters originally created by Roger Stern and John Byrne for "Captain America" #253 (January 1981).
1970s publications.
Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins featured the original Baron Blood, John Falsworth, in "The Invaders" #7-9 (July–October 1976); in the story flashbacks show him being turned into a vampire by Dracula on a trip to Transylvania and joining the German forces for World War I and World War II, while in the present day he stays at Falsworth Manor under the guise of his own son plotting to kill his niece, Jacqueline Falsworth, to get revenge against his elder brother, Lord Falsworth, until he is killed by Captain America.
1980s publications.
Roger Stern and John Byrne gave Falsworth a false identity as Dr. Jacob Cromwell for "Captain America" #253-254 (January–February 1981); in the story, which features the first appearance of his successors Kenneth Crichton and Lilly Cromwell, he is defeated and killed by Captain America and the new Union Jack Joey Chapman. Falsworth made a brief reappearance in Tom DeFalco's "Avengers Annual" #16 (1987); in the story he is one of a group of villains brought back from the dead to battle the Avengers.
1990s publications.
Kenneth Crichton made a brief appearance in Fabian Nicieza and Kieron Dwyer's story "The Establishment" for "Marvel Comics Presents" #42 (February 1990); in a flashback to events following his debut appearance he is shown persuading his mother, Lady Jacqueline, to allow Joey Chapman to continue as Union Jack. Dan Slott and Rita Fagiani featured Crichton and his mother again in "Young Blood" for "Marvel Comics Presents" #89 (November 1991); in the story, he is kidnapped in an attempt to steal the secret of youth from the recently rejuvenated Lady Jacqueline. While Ron Marz and Ron Lim featured Falsworth in the World War II-era story "The Gift" for "Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual" #2 (1992); in the story Falsworth wins over the affections of Namor's love interest.
Falsworth appears as a supporting character in Nicholas Vince and Mark Buckingham's four-issue "" (September 1993-October 1994) miniseries for Marvel UK; the story reveals in flashback that while staying at Falworth Manor during World War II under his original assumed identity, he turned the spurned lover of the titular anti-hero into a vampire.
Crichton and Cromwell appeared as supporting characters in Ben Raab and John Cassaday's three-issue "Union Jack" (December 1998-February 1999) miniseries; in the story Crichton is seduced by Cromwell as Baroness Blood, transformed into the new Baron Blood, and ultimately left to die. While Falsworth appeared as the principal antagonist in Bill Rosemann and Vince Evans' World War II-era "Sgt. Fury" back-up story for "Captain America" (vol. 3) #20–21 August–September 1999); in which he threatens to turn Fury and his team into vampires.
2000s publications.
Cromwell appeared as the principal antagonist in Allan Jacobsen and C.P. Smith's "New Invaders" #4-5 (January–February 2005); in which in she traps Lady Jacqueline using an image of Crichton and feeds her blood to their newborn vampiric son, while Falsworth made a brief appearance in Steve Niles and Rafael Garres's story "Self-Made Monster" for "Amazing Fantasy" #17 (March 2006); in which a flashback shows him taking revenge against biochemist Michael Morbius for polluting the vampire bloodline.
2010s publications.
Mike Benson and Paul Grist featured Falsworth in the World War II flashback story "Operation: Tooth Fairy" for the 70th Anniversary Issue "Captain America" #616 (May 2011); in the story Captain America is temporarily turned into a vampire by Baron Blood.
Fictional character biography.
John Falsworth.
John Falsworth first appears in the title "Invaders" as an English aristocrat. Although posing as the son of the first John Falsworth, it is revealed in flashback that the character is in fact the original, made possible due to the fact that he is now an ageless vampire. When the family fortune is left to his older brother James, John Falsworth leaves England to pursue an interest of his - vampire lore. Falsworth travels to Transylvania and encounters the original vampire lord Dracula, who, after overpowering Falsworth, drains his blood and turns him into one of the undead. Dracula then commands Falsworth to return to England and cause havoc in revenge for the deeds of his former opponent Jonathan Harker. Adopting the alias of "Baron Blood" (), the character allies with Germany during World War I and without either party realizing the identity of the other, battles his own brother, who is now the English hero Union Jack. Blood is wounded by Jack with a silver dagger, and flees to recover.
The character reappears during World War II in his false persona, and once again aids Germany, with Nazi technology helping him to reduce his susceptibility to sunlight (a major vampire weakness). As Blood, Falsworth attacks and wounds his niece, Jacqueline Falsworth, but is driven off by the android Human Torch. Almost dead due to blood loss, Jacqueline Falsworth is saved when given a blood transfusion by the Torch. The artificial blood causes the character to develop superhuman abilities, and she becomes the heroine Spitfire. Blood captures Spitfire and takes her to a cavern below Falsworth Manor, and cripples his brother by breaking his legs with a boulder. Blood is then impaled through the back and chest by a silver-laced stalactite.
Baron Blood reappears when Japanese soldiers sent by the spy Lady Lotus find the cavern and attempt to resurrect the character. The soldiers are driven off by Union Jack II (James Falsworth's son, Brian) and Spitfire, although Blood is accidentally revived. Blood travels to the United States of America and, after a brief skirmish with the Invaders, joins the Nazi team the Super-Axis for a final battle with the heroes. Blood is killed once again when impaled on a stake thrown by Namor the Sub-Mariner.
In "Captain America" #253-254, a servant of Dracula, Dr. Jacob Cromwell, is sent to revive Blood, whose bones are stored in the Tower of London. Although Cromwell is successful, Blood betrays and kills him and one of his daughters, turning the other one into a vampire (who later becomes Baroness Blood). Assuming Cromwell's identity, Blood commits a series of murders that arouse the suspicions of his now very elderly brother James. The older Falsworth requests the aid of Captain America, who with the third version of Union Jack battles Blood. After being tricked into thinking that Union Jack III was his older brother James, Blood is decapitated with Captain America's shield. The character's body is burned to ashes, with the ashes scattered in the morning breeze.
Baron Blood returns in the "" storyline as an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Baron Blood was seen at the Bar with No Name. He was having a drink with Count Nefaria.
During the "Opening Salvo" part of the "Secret Empire" storyline, Baron Blood is recruited by Baron Helmut Zemo to join the Army of Evil. Zemo found him inside a cave. As part of HYDRA's rise to power, Baron Blood assisted the Army of Evil in their attack on New York City. Then he assisted the Army of Evil in their attack on Washington, D.C. to complete HYDRA's conquest of the United States.
Victor Strange.
The storyline "The Book of the Vishanti: Curse of the Darkhold" in the title "" features a second version of the character. When a still-inexperienced Doctor Strange attempts to resurrect his dead brother Victor with a spell from the Book of the Vishanti, it revives him as a vampire. Given the costume and name of "Baron Blood" by a voodoo sorceress, Victor Strange attempts to control his bloodlust and become a costumed vigilante called "Khiron". He attempts to only prey on criminals, and when criminals are not available, Victor utilizes his willing girlfriend, Morgana. However, his heroic impulses are used against him; Victor is preyed upon by Cagliostro, an ancient entity that needs vampire blood to live. Victor barely escapes this situation. The bloodlust, however, forces the character to kill innocents and he eventually commits suicide.
Kenneth Crichton.
The final version of Baron Blood features in the miniseries "Union Jack". Kenneth Crichton, the son of Jacqueline Falsworth and a sufferer of the medical condition anemia, is estranged from his family after refusing to adopt the identity of Union Jack, deeming his close friend Joey Chapman to be a better choice. Crichton encounters Baroness Blood, who offers to cure his anemia. The character accepts and is turned into a vampire, becoming the third Baron Blood. Baroness Blood then directs Crichton to steal the Holy Grail from a museum, and uses the artifact to become immune to all vampire weaknesses. The Baroness then betrays Crichton and her vampire servants, leaving them to die when exposed to sunlight.
Powers and abilities.
The first Baron Blood possessed all the powers of a vampire, including superhuman strength and durability; hypnotism and the ability to command bats; wolves; dogs; rats and mice. Weaknesses included vulnerability to sunlight, garlic, and silver; the presence of religious symbols; decapitation and a wooden stake through the heart.
Courtesy of Nazi science, Blood received treatment that allowed him activity in sunlight, at least for some length of time, although this also prevented a vampire's traditional shapechanging powers (into a bat or wolf) from working. His transformation into a vampire also somehow activated an apparently latent psionic ability of self-levitation, which enabled Blood to fly without having to change into a bat.
Other versions.
Earth-3931.
In this universe where everyone is a vampire, the Kenneth Crichton version of Baron Blood was the last Union Jack before he became Brother Blood.
Earth-65.
In the "Spider-Gwen" universe, Baron Blood is a vampire based on the musician Prince. He was active in the 1940s and was both an antagonist and lover of the Earth-65 Captain America.
"Marvel Apes".
Set in an alternate universe, the miniseries "Marvel Apes" depicts Earth's heroes as intelligent apes with Baron Blood posing as hero Captain America in the Ape-Vengers (a distorted version of the superhero team the Avengers). The villain is eventually opposed and defeated by the true Captain America.
"Old Man Logan".
In the pages of "Old Man Logan", the elderly Logan had awoken on Earth-616 and had a flashback in which Baron Blood, the Red Skull, Count Nefaria, Spiral, and Whirlwind were standing over the dead bodies of the superheroes on the day when the villains rose and the heroes fell.


Cole Ortiz


Dalian

Dalian is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the fourth most populous city of Northeast China. Located on the southern tip of Liaodong peninsula, it is the southernmost city in both Liaoning and the entire Northeast. Dalian borders the prefectural cities of Yingkou and Anshan to the north and Dandong to the northeast, and also shares maritime boundaries with Qinhuangdao and Huludao across the Liaodong Bay to west and northwest, Yantai and Weihai on the Shandong peninsula across the Bohai Strait to the south, and North Korea across the Korea Bay to the east.
Today a financial, shipping and logistics center for East Asia, Dalian has a significant history of being used by foreign powers for its ports. Dalian was previously known as both "Dalniy" (; ) and "Dairen" (). However, the city used to be better known as "Port Arthur" and "Ryojun" () from the original Port Arthur, now the city's Lüshunkou district.
In 2016, Dalian ranked 48th in the Global Financial Centres Index. In 2012, Dalian ranked 82nd in the Global City Competitiveness Index. In 2006, Dalian was named China's most livable city by "China Daily". It is now a "Beta - Global City" according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
Dalian is also one of the top 100 science cities in the world by scientific research as tracked by the Nature Index. The city is home to several major universities, notably Dalian University of Technology and Dalian Maritime University, members of China's prestigious universities in the Project 211, and the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Etymology.
Modern Dalian originated from Qingniwa () or Qingniwaqiao (), a small fishing village. The Russian Empire built a commercial town for the Kwantung Leased Territory after assuming control in 1898 and called it "Dalniy" ( - "a remote one" or "far-away", in reference to the town's location,
rendered as ) from 1898 to 1905. After the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, Japan occupied the Kwantung Leased Territory and renamed the city after the Chinese name for Dalian Bay () - a name in use since at least 1879. English-language sources called the city "Dairen" in this period (1905-1945), from Japanese.
In 1950 Dalian, once again under Chinese control, merged with the nearby town called Lüshun () (formerly "Ryojun" and before that, "Port Arthur") to form the city of Lüda (), a name (formed from the first syllable of each constituent's name) which was usually rendered as Luta in English during that era. In 1981, the Chinese State Council again renamed the city, from Lüda to "Dalian" (, using the same Chinese characters as Japanese "Dairen"), effective 5 March 1981.
History.
Ancient.
In the Qin and Han periods (221 BC–AD 220), Chinese expanded their territories into northern Korea through the Dalian region, then under the jurisdiction of Liaodong county. During the Sixteen Kingdoms era (3rd through 5th centuries), the kingdom of Goguryeo controlled this region. In the early Tang Dynasty (618–907), the Dalian region was part of Andong Prefecture in Jili state; during the Liao Dynasty (916–1125), it was part of Dong Jing Tong Liaoyang county. Dalian was named Sanshan in the period of Wei Jin (220–420), San Shanpu in the Tang Dynasty (618–907), Sanshan Seaport in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), and Qingniwakou during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911).
Qing Dynasty.
In the 1880s, Jinzhou, the north of downtown within Dalian, now Jinzhou District, was a walled town and center for political intrigue and economic activity. The Qing government built bridges and heavily fortified the peninsula. Mining camps on the northern coast of Dalian Bay became the small town of Qingniwa () or Qingniwaqiao (), near what became the downtown core of modern-day Dalian.
British, Russian, and Japanese occupations.
The British briefly occupied Qingniwa during the Second Opium War in 1858, but returned it to Chinese control in 1860. Port Arthur at the peninsula's tip took its English name from Royal Navy Lieutenant William Arthur, while the Chinese called it Lüshun. Although China heavily fortified the area, in which it allowed trade with foreigners, Japan swiftly overcame those defenses in the First Sino-Japanese War, committing the Port Arthur massacre during the war in November 1894. In April 1895, China conceded defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, ceding Liaodong Peninsula, Taiwan and Penghu, and making many other concessions in the Treaty of Shimonoseki.
The Triple Intervention by Russia, France and Germany forced Japan to return the Liaodong Peninsula to China, despite the treaty's terms; instead the Russian Empire coerced a lease of the peninsula from the Qing Dynasty in 1898. For Russia the region of the peninsula was of particular interest as one of the few areas in the region that had the potential to develop ice-free ports. The Russians built a modern commercial port city, which they wanted to become the Paris of the Far East, and called it Dal'niy (). Linked to the Trans-Siberian Railway's branch line from Harbin, Dalniy became Russia's primary port-city in Asia, and also served Western traders. Russia signed the Pavlov Agreement (1898) with China, which granted Russia a 25-year lease on Dalian and Lüshun and exclusive right to lay a branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway—what would become the South Manchurian Railway. Russia spent more than 10 million golden rubles (equivalent to 11.5 billion of today's rubles) building the new ice-free port city.
Russia heavily fortified both Dalniy (Qingniwaqiao of Zhongshan District) and the Port Arthur naval base (Lüshunkou) before and after the Boxer Rebellion. Missionaries and converts were killed in the peninsula during the insurrection, although the massive massacres of ethnic Chinese Christians including Metrophanes, Chi Sung occurred at Harbin. Also, Western expeditionary forces suppressed the Boxers across the Yellow Sea in Shandong.
During the Russo-Japanese War, the peninsula became a major battleground. Major-General Baron Anatoly Stoessel defended the siege of Port Arthur, for five months, but the Japanese army managed to sink several Russian ships attempting to relieve him through long-distance fire in early December. Admiral Eugene Alexeyeff was blamed for splitting precious resources shipped across the single tracked Trans-Siberian Railway and Manchurian Railway between Dalniy and Port Arthur. After the Japanese navy crippled the remaining Russian battleship "Sevastopol" in three weeks of constant attacks, and explosives detonated in tunnels destroyed Port Arthur's remaining defenses at year's end, Russia surrendered the port on 2 January 1905.
The Treaty of Portsmouth ceded Port Arthur to Japan, which set up the Kwantung Leased Territory or "Guandongzhou" (), on roughly the southern half (Jinzhou District and south) of present-day Dalian. Japanese invested heavily in the region, which became the main trading port between Manchuria and Japan. Japan leased the area from Manchukuo after establishing the puppet state in 1932. In 1937, as the Second Sino-Japanese War began, Japan enlarged and modernized the trade zone as two cities: the northern Dairen (Dalian) and the southern Ryojun (Lüshun or Port Arthur).
Post-World War II.
With the unconditional surrender of Japan in August 1945, Dairen was passed to the Soviets, whose Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation had liberated the city. The Soviets and Chinese Communists cooperated to develop the city, relatively undamaged during the war, especially its industrial infrastructure and the port. The Soviet government rented the port and in 1945 the first Chinese Communist mayor of the new Lüda Administrative Office () had been appointed.
In 1950, the USSR presented the city to the Chinese Communist government without any compensation. Dalian and Lüshun (former Port Arthur) merged as Lüda on 1 December 1950. From 12 March 1953 to 1 August 1954 it was a direct-controlled municipality and not part of Liaoning. Soviet troops left the city in 1955. After the Soviets left, the PRC made Lüda a major shipbuilding center.
In 1981, it was renamed Dalian, with Lüshunkou becoming a constituent district. In 1984, the Chinese Government designated the city a Special Economic Zone. At the time, Dalian was China's largest foreign trade port.
Post 1990.
The city was upgraded from a prefecture-level city to a sub-provincial city in May 1994, with no change in its administrative subdivisions. In the 1990s the city benefited from the attention of Bo Xilai (later Party secretary of Chongqing) who was both the mayor of the city and one of the major leaders in the province, who, among other things, banned motorcycles and planted large, lush parks in the city's many traffic circles. He also preserved much of Dalian's Japanese and Russian architectural heritage. He also worked as former Minister of Commerce of China.
In 2008, about 1,000 people protested and blocked traffic as a response of the 2008 Tibetan anti-Chinese protests, and forced the temporary closure of the local Carrefour store.
In 2010, one of the worst recorded oil spills in China's history occurred in Dalian.
Since 2007, Dalian has been hosting the Annual Meeting of the New Champions ("Summer Davos"), organized by the World Economic Forum, in alternating years with Tianjin. The venue for the forum is Dalian International Conference Center in Donggang CBD.
Geography.
One of the most heavily developed industrial areas of China, Dalian municipal area today consists of Dalian proper and the smaller Lüshunkou (formerly Lüshun city, known in Western and Russian historic references as Port Arthur), about farther along the Liaodong Peninsula. Historical references note that the Russian designed city of Dalniy (Alt. Dalney), on the south side of Dalian Bay was from Port Arthur/Lüshun (known today as Lüshunkou or literally, Lüshun Port).
Dalian is located on Korea Bay north of the Yellow Sea and roughly in the middle of the Liaodong peninsula at its narrowest neck or isthmus. With a coastline of , it governs the majority of the Liaodong Peninsula and about 260 surrounding islands and reefs. It is seated at south-south-west of the Yalu River, and its harbor entrance forms a sub-bay known as Dalian Bay.
Climate.
Dalian has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen "Dwa"), characterized by warm wet summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and cold, windy, dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone. Except for winter, the city experiences a one-month seasonal lag due to its position on the Liaodong Peninsula. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in August. Annual precipitation averages but is heavily concentrated in the summer months and can vary greatly from year to year. Due to the coastal location, the mean diurnal temperature variation annually is small, at . The monthly percent of possible sunshine ranges from 49% in July to 68% in September and October, with 2,740 hours of bright sunshine annually. The annual mean temperature is . Extremes since 1951 have ranged from on 4 January 1970 to on 14 July 2015.
Environmental issues.
In 2001, the United Nations Environment Programme awarded the Dalian Municipal Government for its outstanding contribution to the protection of the environment.
The average content of the four pollutants in the air reached Class II of National Ambient Air Quality Standards and there were 353 days with Air Pollution Index (API) over Class II (Good), including 108 excellent days with Class I (Superior). Dalian frequently ranks Grade 2 for air pollution according to State Environmental Protection Administration. However, the environmental effects of economic growth are of concern, according to Dalian Environmental Protection Agency, during the first half of 2011, respirable particles in the air increased significantly, with an average 40% higher than 2010.
The water quality of offshore marine space remained stable overall. The annual average content of monitoring indicators for water quality met Class-II of the National Seawater Quality Standard, with the exception of Inorganic Nitrogen in Dalian Bay and the city's southern coast. The water quality of drinking water sources is considered good and complies with Class-III of Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water.
Recent events have had a major environmental impact on the city. In July 2010, the explosion of two petroleum pipelines released 11,000 barrels of oil into the Yellow Sea, according to official statements. Rick Steiner, an American marine conservationist working with Greenpeace, says that the figure could be upwards of 400,000. It was reported as the largest oil spill to occur in China, and involved 2,000 firefighters. The oil spill stretched for at least . 800 fishing boats were mobilized for the cleanup. The incident caused President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao to intervene, and Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang moved in to help direct the rescue work. A researcher with the China Environmental Science Research Institute, said that "the impact on marine life and on humans – as the pollution enters the food chain – could last 10 years." This has compounded aquatic pollution, affecting the city's fishing industry.
In August 2011, a dike protecting the petrochemical Fujia Factory in Jinzhou District was breached due to a typhoon. Authorities have ordered the plant to be shut down. Around 12,000 residents protested as the factory, which originally was intended to be based in Xiamen, did not receive official approval to operate in Dalian. Municipal authorities ruled that the facility must move, leaving taxpayers to pay the expensive cost of relocation.
Concerns have been raised over mounting traffic due to "bad urban design" and that the growing rate of car ownership is affecting air quality. The United States National Academy of Engineering have raised concern about rising traffic in Dalian stating that "rapid growth of traffic in Dalian and in similar Chinese cities will repeat the air quality and energy consumption mistakes of Los Angeles and other U.S. cities, if not better managed."
Administration.
Dalian is the second largest city of Liaoning province, after Shenyang, the provincial capital. Dalian City is governed by the Dalian Municipal People's Government.
Municipal government.
The municipal government is located in the main building on the north side of People's Square on Zhongshan Road, originally built as the Administrative Office of Kwantung Leased Territory, and other buildings in downtown Dalian. There are the Commerce, Foreign Economy & Trade, Hygiene, Information Industry, Police, Religion, Science & Technology, Transportation and other city-level bureaus, which work closely with the corresponding agencies at the district level.
There are, in addition, 4 national leading open zones ():
Administrative divisions.
The city administers 7 districts, 2 county-level cities, and 1 county:
Demographics.
The population of Dalian according to the 2010 census totaled 6.69 million. The total registered population on household at year end 2014 was 5.943 million, with a net increase of 29,000 over the previous year.
Economy.
The city has had a continuous annual double-digit percentage increase in GDP since 1992. In 2014, the city's GDP registered a 5.8% increase, reaching RMB 765.56 billion, while per capita GDP hit RMB 109,939. According to a nationwide appraisal by the National Bureau of Statistics, Dalian ranks eighth among Chinese cities in terms of overall strength. The city's main industries include machine manufacturing, petrochemicals and oil refining, and electronics.
Agriculture and aquaculture.
Dalian was originally an agriculture and aquaculture-based area, which, after the opening of the ferry between Yantai and Lüshun during the early 20th century, began to be populated by the farmers and fishers of Shandong, across the Yellow Sea during the Chuang Guandong era.
Heavy, light and distribution industries.
Even before and during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the shipbuilding and locomotives industries were located in the city such as the companies which later became Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company and Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Works (DLoco). After the WWII, Dalian became an important center of the heavy and light industries, including companies such as Dalian Heavy Industry Co., Dalian Chemical Group, and Wafangdian Bearing Co.; and of the distribution industry, such as the Dashang Group.
Dalian Port is an important port for international trade. It has established trading and shipping links with more than 300 ports in 160 countries and regions of the world. There are over 100 international and domestic container shipping routes. A harbor for oil tankers (the largest by tonnage in China), at the terminus of an oil pipeline from the Daqing oilfields, was completed in 1976. Dalian is the 6th largest port in China; and according to AAPA world port ranking data, Dalian is the 8th busiest port in the world by cargo tonnage in 2012, and the 12th busiest container port in the world by total number of TEUs handled in 2013. Accordingly, Dalian is a major center for oil refineries, diesel engineering, and chemical production.
Also completed in 1993 is a newer port called Dayaowan Port (), on Dagushan () Peninsula in the northern suburbs, specializing in import-export of mining and oil products. Together with the Dalian Railway Station, Dalian North Railway Station, Dalian International Airport and two major express roads to Shenyang (Shenda Expressway), Changchun (Changda Expressway), Harbin (Hada Expressway) in the north and to Dandong to the east, Dalian has been an important distribution center.
Industrial zones.
Dalian has been given many benefits by the Chinese government, including the title of "open-city" (1984), which allows it to receive considerable foreign investment (see Special Economic Zone). The Development Zone was established in Jinzhou District, to which many Japanese companies, such as Canon, Mitsubishi Electric, Nidec, Sanyo Electric and Toshiba, followed by South Korean, American and European companies (such as Pfizer). In 2007, Intel announced plans to build a semiconductor fabrication facility (commonly known as a fab) in the Development Zone, Dalian. It is Intel's first fab to be built at an entirely new site since 1992. The facility began operation in October 2010. Dalian also houses auto-manufacturing plants for Chery, Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company, and BYD Automobile (a production base for BYD K9 electric buses).
Other zones in the city include the Dalian Economic and Technological Development Zone, Dalian Export Processing Zone, Dalian Free Trade Zone, and Dalian Hi-Tech Industrial Zone.
Financial and IT industry.
Dalian is the financial center of Northeast China. There are the Dalian branches of China's five major banks: Bank of China, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Bank of Communications, and Agricultural Bank of China. Dalian City Commercial Bank is now called Bank of Dalian, which among other things handles processing of the Dalian Mingzhu IC Card for public transportation. Bank of Dalian has opened branches in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang, among five other cities.
Founded in 1993, Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) is the only futures exchange in Northeast China. The futures industry leaped forward in its development. Among its 19 listed futures products approved by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) are corn, corn starch, soybeans, soybean meal, soybean oil, RBD palm olein, polished round-grained rice, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), ethylene glycol (EG), ethenylbenzene (EB), metallurgical coke, coking coal, iron ore, egg, fiberboard and blockboard. 3 options are also listed for trading, which includes soybean meal, corn and iron ore options. In 2019, DCE achieved 1,331 million lots and RMB 68.92 trillion respectively in trading volume and turnover. According to the Futures Industry Association (FIA) of the U.S., DCE was 11th largest exchange in the world by trading volume in 2019.
Since the 1990s, Dalian has emphasized the development of the IT industry, especially in Dalian Hi-Tech Zone and Dalian Software Park in the western suburbs near Dalian University of Technology. Dalian High-Tech Zone is the base of high-tech industries, housing more than 4,700 enterprises, including 80 Fortune Global 500 companies. Not only Chinese IT companies, such as DHC, Hisoft and Neusoft Group, but also American, European, Indian and Japanese IT companies are located there, including Infosys, IBM, Dell, HP, Ericsson, Panasonic, Sony, Accenture, Oracle, Hitachi and Cisco. Nine professional business incubators are also located in the area, including the Hi-tech Business Incubator, animation and software incubators, with over 400 companies incubated. Currently, the "Lüshun South Road Software Industry Belt" Plan is proceeding, including Dalian Software Park Phase 3.
Intel's Fab 68 is located in Dalian. The plan was announced on 26 March 2007, and operations started on 26 October 2010. It is Intel's first chip-manufacturing fabrication in East Asia.
Tourism.
Dalian is a popular destination among domestic tourists and foreign visitors, especially from Japan, South Korea and Russia. Its mild climate and multiple beaches as well as its importance in the modern history of China have attracted tourists. Some of the most famous beaches are Jinshitan Golden Coast () beach, Fujiazhuang () beach, Bangchuidao () beach, Xinghai Park () beach, Xinghai Bay () beach, and Xiajiahezi () beach. In 2007, it was one of the three cities named "China's best tourist city", along with Hangzhou and Chengdu, recognized by the National Tourism Administration and the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
Hot Spring and Ski Resorts.
There are various hot spring hotels in Dalian. Notable ones include Laotieshan Hot Spring Hotel in Lüshun, Tang Dynasty Hot Spring Resort in Jinshitan, Minghu Hot Spring Hotel in Wafangdian City, Chengyuan Hot Spring Villa in Ganjingzi District, and Tianmu Hot Spring Hotel in Lüshun.
Skiing has become increasingly popular in Dalian. Famous ski resorts are Linhai Ski Resort in Ganjingzi District, Anbo Ski Resort in Pulandian District, Minghu Ski Resort & Minghu International Skiing Holiday Village in Wafangdian City, and Dalian Happy Snow World in Ganjingzi District near the airport.
Transportation.
Local transportation.
Not many people ride bicycles in Dalian because of the hilly roads. Dalian is also one of the many cities in China where there are few motorcycles, because motorcycle riding on most roads is banned by law. The city has a comprehensive bus system and an efficient metro system. As of November 2015, the Dalian Metro consists of the underground Line 1, Line 2, and the overground Line 12 (Formerly called line R2) and Line 3. New lines and expansion of the metro system are under way. The Dalian Tram system is the second oldest in China. Most of the public transportation in the city can be accessed using the Mingzhu IC Card ().
Domestic and international.
In 2005 Dalian expanded the international airport, Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport, with direct flights to the most major cities in China, and to cities in South Korea and Japan as well as countries in Southeast Asia. In 2014, the airport was the 20th busiest airport in China with 13,551,223 passengers. The airport is the hub of Dalian Airlines.
The city's location means that train trips to most Chinese cities outside China's northeastern region require changing trains in Beijing or Shanghai. With the high-speed rail system, trips from Dalian to Shenyang can be completed in 1.5 hours, to Changchun 2.5 hours and to Harbin 3.5 hours. The city has two railway stations, namely Dalian railway station and Dalian North railway station , the latter being part of the Harbin–Dalian high-speed railway.
In addition to local and express bus services to Beijing and other areas in the northeast, Dalian is connected by passenger ship service to neighboring coastal cities, including Tianjin, Yantai, Weihai, Penglai and Dongying, as well as Incheon, South Korea.
Culture.
In 2006, Dalian was selected as the most liveable city in China according to "China Daily".
Dalian dialect.
Standard Mandarin is usually spoken in Dalian because it is a city with people from various locations. But Dalian natives use Dalian dialect, which belongs to the Jiaoliao Mandarin subgroup spoken in parts of Shandong and Liaoning provinces. Most of the residents of Dalian were farmers and fishermen who had come from Shandong Province in a large population move, the "Chuang Guandong", during which era Dalian was occupied by the Japanese as the Kwantung Leased Territory. The Dalian dialect incorporates a few loanwords from Japanese and Russian (very rare in Chinese), reflecting the history of foreign occupation. Dalian dialect is mostly distinguishable from Standard Mandarin based on a low-falling Yinping (31), and it is often referred to as "oyster flavored" () by the locals.
Cuisine.
Dalian cuisine is a branch of Shandong cuisine, with influence from Northeastern Chinese cuisine, and is widely known for its unique style of seafood dishes. The variety of seafood in Dalian includes fish, prawns, clams, crabs, scallops, sea urchins, oysters, sea cucumbers, mussels, lobsters, conches, abalone, algae, razor clams, urechis unicinctus, mantis shrimps, jellyfish and so on. During the winter, many seafoods such as clams, mussels and abalone gain the most fat.
Colorful snowflake scallops () is a local seafood dish, where egg white is made into snowflake-shape to embrace the scallops, with seasonal greens, carrot and hot pepper cut into small pieces as decorations on top.
Another popular local dish is Salted fish with corn cake (), where steamed or fried corn cake is served with fried salted fish. Legend goes that, in the old days fishermen going out fishing in the morning couldn't return home to have lunch, so they baked fresh fish to eat with corn cakes, and the habit passed down from generation to generation and eventually became a famous food among local people.
Dalian Menzi () is a traditional local snack. A protein-rich starch paste coagulated from an extract of potatoes is cut into pieces and fried on a pan to create a crisp cover. A mixed seasoning of smashed garlic, sesame, and sauces is added on eating.
Other popular local specialties include Dalian-style grilled squid, seafood noodles, roast full prawns, salt baked conches, and lantern-shaped steamed abalone.
Theaters.
Well-known theaters in Dalian are: Dalian People's Culture Club (mainly for music), Hongqi Grand Stage (for Beijing Opera), Working People's Theater-Doudou Grand Stage (, mainly for Errenzhuan) and Development Area Grand Theater ().
Sports.
Sports play a big role in the local culture. Dalian's former association football club, Dalian Shide (formerly known as Dalian Wanda as the club was originally sponsored by the Dalian Wanda Group), achieved a total of eight titles from China's top-tier football league, the Chinese Jia-A League and the later rebranded Chinese Super League, and was widely considered one of the most successful clubs in Chinese football history. In the Asian Football Confederation, the club reached the 1997–98 Asian Club Championship and 2000–01 Asian Cup Winners' Cup finals. Several of China's greatest players, including Sun Jihai, Hao Haidong and Li Ming, made their names with Dalian Shide. Dalian also produced many top Chinese football players thanks to its youth training system and grassroots football culture. As of the 2014 season of the Chinese Super League, out of the 448 registered Chinese players, a total of 71 players are from Dalian. Therefore, Dalian earned its nickname of China's "Football City" (), and a giant football statue was placed in the Labor Park near downtown Dalian in its honor. Current football clubs in the city are Dalian Pro playing in the Chinese Super League and Dalian Pro W.F.C. playing in the Chinese Women's Football League. Both of their home stadiums are Dalian Sports Center Stadium.
The 60,663-capacity Dalian Sports Center Stadium, the 30,777-capacity Jinzhou Stadium, the 30,000-capacity Puwan New District Stadium and the 8,000-capacity Dalian Medical University Stadium are located in Dalian.
Some other popular sports played in Dalian are swimming, skiing, golf, cycling, bowling and billiards. The government hold various events every year in Dalian, like marathon, tennis and so on.
As part of the 2013 National Games of China in Liaoning in 2013, Dalian was a host city for 12 events, including synchronized swimming, field hockey, gymnastics, sailing and canoeing.
In February 2018, Dalian Wanda Group decided to take over Dalian Yifang F.C. football club, after lapse of 20 years Wanda Group come back to reinvest Dalian football club. Wanda Group announced long-term investment plan to help Dalian build football infrastructure, and concentrate on youth training and revitalize Dalian football and Chinese football.
City-wide festivals and events.
Xinghai Square, Dalian Xinghai Convention & Exhibitions Center, the Dalian World Expo Center and the hotels on Renmin Road are the main places where Dalian's major annual events are held.
Every year from January to February, the Bingyugou Ice Lantern Festival is held in Bingyugou Scenic Area in Zhuanghe City. The event features a large number of ice sculptures, snow sculptures and colorful ice lanterns. Visitors can also participate in a series of ice-sports including ice-skating, ice hockey and iceboating.
From late April to May, the Lüshun International Cherry Blossom Festival is held. The main site is 203 Hill, and the other site is Longwangtang Cherry Blossom Park. It is said that the very first cherry trees were planted by Japanese soldiers stationed in Lüshun during World War II, in order to ease their homesickness. Today, the 203 Hill site has more than 3000 cherry trees, and boasts to be the largest cherry blossom park in China with the most varieties.
Each May, the Dalian International Walking Festival takes place. The purpose of the festival is to foster health and peace for the whole community. It is widely popular among citizens and attracts many foreign participants. Dalian is the only city in China recognized by the IML Walking Association. Four different routes of , , , and are provided for participants, with the longest route going from Xinghai Square along Binhai Road to Laohutan Ocean Park, Bangchuidao Scenic Area and finally reaching Dalian International Conference Center. Starting from 2012, Jinshitan National Holiday Resort also serves as a venue for the festival.
Every May, Dalian International Marathon is held. With the first marathon held in 1987, it is one of the four oldest marathon races in China. The main venue is the Jinshitan National Holiday Resort.
Every June, the China International Software & Information Service Fair is held in Dalian World Expo Center. Officials from overseas government departments, CEOs of World Top 500, well-known consulting firms and overseas IT associations attend the fair each year.
Dalian International Beer Festival takes place in Xinghai Square every year from July to August. It is similar to Oktoberfest in Munich and is a widely popular event in the city. Activities of the Beer Festival include exhibitions by beer manufacturers, a beer disco plaza, a beer culture exhibition, a beer drinking contest, a photography contest, the Beer Industry Summit, and a beer quiz.
Dalian International Automotive Exhibition is held in August in Dalian Xinghai Convention & Exhibitions Center and Dalian World Expo Center.
The annual Dalian International Fashion Festival is held in September in Dalian Xinghai Convention & Exhibitions Center and Dalian World Expo Center. For the past decade, the festival has been attracting the world's top fashion designers, businessmen and models to Dalian. Arrangement for the show includes various theme activities including the Garment Export Fair, fashion exhibitions, fashion competitions and a model contest.
Inter-governmental.
Japan maintains a branch office for its Consulate General of Japan at Shenyang and a JETRO office in Dalian, reflecting a relatively large Japanese population.
Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry has about 700 corporate members. Those Japanese who had lived in Dalian before the War have organized the Dalian Society.
Religion.
, Dalian had 29 Christian churches (27 of them Protestant, 2 of them Catholic), 10 mosques, 34 Buddhist temples, and 7 Taoist temples, according to the statistics of the city government.
Taoist temples can be found in various districts including downtown Dalian (Hua Temple in Zhongshan Park), in Lüshunkou District (Longwang Temple), and in Jinzhou District (Jinlong Temple in Daweijia, Xiangshui Temple at the foot of Dahei Mountain, and Zhenwu Temple in Liangjiadian).
Buddhist temples are in downtown Dalian (Songshan Temple on Tangshan Street and Lianhuashan Temple on Yingchun Road), on the northern side of Anzi Mountain (Anshan Temple), at Daheishi (Thousand-Hand Buddha & 500 Luohan Statues), in Lüshunkou District (Hengshan Temple at Longwangtang), and in Jinzhou District (Guanyinge-Shengshui Temple on Dahei Mountain).
Dalian Catholic Church (built in 1926) is in downtown Dalian, west of Dalian Railway Station. Protestant churches are near Zhongshan Square (Yuguang Street Church, the former Dalian Anglican Church, built in 1928 in the British Consulate General's premises by the Church of England and Anglican Church of Japan jointly), on Changjiang Road (Beijing Street Church, now called Cheng-en Church, originally built in 1914 by the Danish Lutheran Church), on Xi'an Road (Christian Church for Korean Chinese and South Koreans), east of the airport (the newly built Harvest Church, which can seat 4000 people), in Jinzhou (the newly built Jinzhou Church) and in Lüshunkou District (Lüshun Church, a former Danish Lutheran church). Dalian Mosque is on Beijing Street.
Education.
 23 general institutions of higher education (and another 7 privately run colleges), 108 secondary vocational schools, 80 ordinary middle high schools, 1,049 schools for nine-year compulsory education and 1,432 kindergartens in Dalian. The students on campus of all levels (including kindergartens) totaled 1108 thousand.
There are the following schools of higher education and research centers:
High schools.
Notable high schools include:
International relations.
Dalian is twinned with:


Military Ordinariate of Croatia

The Military Ordinariate of Croatia () is a military ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church. Immediately subject to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Roman Catholics serving in the Croatian Armed Forces and their families.
History.
The military ordinariate was established by Pope John Paul II on 25 April 1997.


Coward of the County (film)


Alfred Warrington-Morris

Air Commodore Alfred Drummond Warrington-Morris, (18 December 1883 – 24 March 1962) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during the first half of the 20th century.
Following his regular military service he became the second Commandant of the Observer Corps and commanded the corps through its adoption by RAF Fighter Command, the crucial operations during the Battle of Britain and the change to the Royal Observer Corps.
Military career.
Royal Navy.
Warrington-Morris joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15 in 1899 as a midshipman. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant on 18 December 1902 then to lieutenant in December 1904. In 1912 he was recorded as being a lieutenant commander studying at the Royal Navy Torpedo School .
Following his training, Warrington-Morris was posted as Torpedo Officer to , the RN Flagship East Indies Station with the rank of acting commander. In 1916 he transferred to the Royal Naval Air Service and was promoted commander on 30 June 1917 as a Senior Wireless Officer.
Royal Flying Corps.
In 1918 Warrington-Morris was posted to the Royal Flying Corps as Staff Officer i/c 1st Class Equipment – Wireless Telegraphy and promoted to acting lieutenant colonel just before the Royal Flying Corps was amalgamated with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the new Royal Air Force (RAF) in April of that year. His commission as a lieutenant colonel was made permanent and gazetted on 22 August 1919 when he was appointed Deputy Director of Flying Instrumentation.
Royal Air Force.
When RAF rank structure was reorganised in late 1919 Warrington-Morris became a wing commander and his name was removed from the Royal Navy list. He was appointed Commandant, RAF Electrical and Wireless School on 1 August 1921 and was promoted to group captain in January 1922.
On 1 January 1925 Warrington-Morris was promoted to air commodore and appointed Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at RAF HQ Iraq Command. In March 1927 he became the RAF's representative to the Ordnance Committee at Woolwich but, by September 1928, he was declared as a supernumerary air commodore at the RAF Central Depot. Between 1928 and 1934 he was Commandant RAF Signals Branch until retirement as a regular officer.
Royal Observer Corps.
In 1934, on leaving the RAF, Warrington-Morris was employed as the Deputy Commandant of the Observer Corps under Air Commodore Edward Masterman at RAF Uxbridge. Between 1935 and 1936 he was appointed Commandant of Southern Area of the Observer Corps during the massive and crucial expansion and development of the corps during the inter war years.
When Air Commodore Masterman stood down as commandant in April 1936, Warrington-Morris replaced him and took control of the Observer Corps during the important period immediately prior to the Second World War. He oversaw the move of HQ Observer Corps to RAF Bentley Priory and the corps' adoption by RAF Fighter Command. He also controlled the corps during the memorable events of the Battle of Britain and was still at the helm when the Observer Corps was granted the title 'Royal' prefix to become the Royal Observer Corps and became a uniformed branch of the RAF. He was Mentioned in Despatches in July 1940.
Later appointments.
On leaving the Royal Observer Corps in June 1942, Warrington-Morris was recommissioned as an air commodore in Class CC and served in the Admin and Special Duties Branch of the RAF. From 26 December 1942 until 8 November 1944 he was Deputy Director of the Air Training Corps by then holding a reserve nominal rank of wing commander.
Sporting achievements.
Warrington-Morris played international rugby union for England in 1909 at the age of 25 and later represented the RAF playing hockey in 1919. He was still playing rugby for RAF Flowerdown, of which he was at the time Station Commander, in 1922 at the age of 39.
Warrington-Morris was a founder member of the RAF Rugby Union, which was formed at a meeting on 15 January 1920. He became the sole selector and Honorary Treasurer and was to hold the financial appointment, or others on the Committee, until his death 42 years later, making him the longest-serving member of the Union.
Warrington-Morris was the Treasurer from the 1919–20 year until 1924–25, then again from 1933–1934 until 1956–57, and finally from 1958–1959 until 1961–62. He was also the chairman in 1923–1924 and 1924–25, then from 1927–1928 until 1932–33. During this time he rose in rank from wing commander to air commodore; "an extremely faithful servant of the RAFRU by anyone's standards".
On the day of his death, against doctors' orders, Warrington-Morris went to Twickenham and watched the RAF achieve a 19–14 victory over the army in a game of rugby. He collapsed and died on the way home from the match.
To mark his service, the RAFRU Committee named a new Inter-Station Shield competition trophy in his honour (The Warrington Morris Shield), and it is still played for to this day.


Li Zaihe

Li Zaihe () (1919–1975) was a People's Republic of China politician. He was born in Fushun County, Sichuan Province. He was Communist Party of China Committee Secretary and governor of Guizhou Province.


Cathedral of St Michael and St George, Aldershot

Cathedral Church of St Michael and St George serves as the Roman Catholic cathedral for the Bishopric of the Forces. Located on Queens Avenue in Aldershot, England, the building was originally intended to be the principal church for the Anglican chaplaincies of the British Army but since 1973 it has been the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Forces.
History.
The church was designed in 1892 in the Early English Gothic Revival style by Ingers Bell and Aston Webb of the War Office. The church was built by J. Davey of Brentwood and was dedicated to St George.
Because the building was originally intended as the principal church for the Anglican chaplaincies of the British Army, the foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria on 27 June 1892. The trowel and mallet she used in the ceremony are exhibited in the cathedral's west porch.
St George's was consecrated on 7 October 1893 by the Rt. Rev. Anthony Thorold, the Bishop of Winchester in the presence of Queen Victoria and other members of the Royal Family.
The Catholics, in the meantime, were worshipping in the Church of St Michael and St Sebastian which had been erected in 1855 opposite the Louise Margaret Hospital. This church was a large wooden building not unlike a barn in appearance, and was constructed mainly of cast iron with internal wooden pillars. The nave had many windows filled with stained glass.
By the early 1970s St George's was not required by the Anglican chaplaincies because the Church of England had two underused churches in the area while the number of Catholic soldiers was increasing; so, in 1973 it became the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Forces instead and was dedicated to St Michael and St George.
The wooden Church of St Michael and St Sebastian, no longer being required as a Catholic place of worship, became an Army store until it burned in 1983.
The Royal Army Service Corps has had a very long and close association with the church, holding a memorial service there each year on a Sunday in July. The Corps' Chapel of Remembrance stands to the South of the Sanctuary and contains memorials and books of remembrance.
Architecture and interior.
Long and red-brick with Portland stone facings and with a tall tower topped by a red-brick spire, the church is a prominent local landmark. Above the main door is a relief of Saint George standing over the slain dragon.
The yellow-brick interior has broad aisles and a wide nave of five bays of Early English style arches and a debased Romanesque clerestory of two windows above each arch.
On the south aisle are a series of red marble tablets set in a carved Portland stone frieze commemorating members of the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) who died on active service 1882 - 1920. The cathedral has many fine stained glass windows of saints and Biblical scenes by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. One window in the south wall of the Royal Army Service Corps Memorial Chapel is dedicated to the memory of Julia Horatia Ewing, the wife of Colonel Alexander Ewing who wrote the hymn "Jerusalem the Golden". Mrs Ewing was an author who chronicled and illustrated the everyday life of the ordinary soldier in Aldershot. The reason some of the stained glass windows do not fill their niches is because these were moved to the cathedral following the closure of the Church of St Michael and St Sebastian in 1973.
The ornate east end, with a rich 1930s mosaic on the reredos portraying the Last Supper, contrasts with the simplicity of the rest of the chancel, which was reordered to provide room for a free-standing plain altar. The East Window over the altar is dedicated to the men of the Royal Army Service Corps who lost their lives during the Boer War of 1899–1902. Tablets in the Sanctuary commemorate the 376 men who died. The window depicts The Ascension, The Translation of Elijah, The Crucifixion, Moses and the brazen serpent and Samson carrying off the Gates of Gaza. The memorial to those who fell in World War I consists of the mural decorations in the Sanctuary and Chancel.
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel on the south side of the nave was constructed in 1998. The brass panels in the lower part of the screen were originally in the altar rail of the Church of St Michael and St Sebastian. The Lady Chapel has a particularly fine mosaic dedicated to the Army Chaplains who lost their lives in the Boer War of 1899–1902.
The chancel furnishings are sparse and modern. On the south side of the chancel, the bishop's throne is a simple, substantial wooden chair, surmounted by a banner. The cathedral is sometimes the venue for musical concerts.
The main organ was built and installed by Hele & Co of Plymouth in 1908 at a cost of £950. However, despite a comprehensive refurbishment this organ is no longer used mainly because of asbestos being found in the organ pipe gallery. The Allen organ currently used in the cathedral originally belonged to the noted organist Carlo Curley and was obtained in 2014 after his death. The wooden screens to the two side chapels were carved by Robert 'Mouse' Thompson with each displaying his characteristic mouse.
In 2015 a sanctuary crucifix made from the parts of 23 aircraft dated from the 1930s to the present was blessed and dedicated in the cathedral. Constructed by Yorkshire-based blacksmith Chris Raw, the crucifix was described as "a fitting and deeply significant link to those of us who serve in the Royal Air Force and our colleagues who went before us especially those who lost their lives in the service of their country."
The cathedral was Grade II listed in 1979 for its special architectural and historic interest.


George Boddy

Air Commodore George Michael Boddy, was a senior Royal Air Force officer in the 1980s and the Commandant Royal Observer Corps.


Qin Shengxiang

Qin Shengxiang (; born February 1957) is an admiral of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) who has been Political Commissar of the PLA Navy since September 2017. He formerly served as Director of the General Office of the Central Military Commission.
Career.
Qin Shengxiang was born in February 1957 in Jianli, Hubei Province. He worked for many years in the Central Military Commission, and served as Vice Director and then Director of the Organization Department of the PLA General Political Department. He attained the rank of major general in about 2007.
In December 2012, Qin was appointed Director of the General Office of the Central Military Commission, succeeding Wang Guanzhong. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in July 2015. After Central Military Commission chairman Xi Jinping's military reform in January 2016, Qin also served as the first Director of the newly established Office for Reform and Organizational Structure.
In September 2017, Qin was appointed Political Commissar of the People's Liberation Army Navy, replacing Admiral Miao Hua. In October 2017, he was elected a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.


Iraq Family Health Survey

On January 9, 2008 the World Health Organization reported the results of the "Iraq Family Health Survey" published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study surveyed 9,345 households across Iraq and was carried out in 2006 and 2007. It estimated 151,000 deaths due to violence (95% uncertainty range, 104,000 to 223,000) from March 2003 through June 2006.
The study was done by the "Iraq Family Health Survey Study Group", a collaborative effort of six organizations: the Federal Ministry of Health, Baghdad; Kurdistan Ministry of Planning, Erbil; Kurdistan Ministry of Health, Erbil; Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology, Baghdad; World Health Organization Iraq office, Amman, Jordan; World Health Organization, Geneva.
Methods.
The Iraq Family Health Survey (IFHS) was a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of 9345 households that was conducted by relevant federal and regional ministries in Iraq in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The sampling frame that was used in the southern and central provinces was derived from the 1997 Iraq census, which had been updated for the 2004 Iraq Living Conditions Survey. The sampling frame used in Kurdistan was based on information provided by the Statistical Offices in the region. Population estimates for Iraq for the survey period were projected by Iraq's Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT).
Training of central and local supervisors from all 18 governorates was conducted in Amman, Jordan. Training of interviewers was done separately in each governorate for one week during May and June 2006 and a one-day refresher training session was conducted the day before the start of the survey in each governorate. Following interviewer training, the survey instruments and procedures were pilot tested in all governorates. The survey fieldwork was conducted during August and September 2006 in the 14 South/Centre governorates. In Anbar governorate, the fieldwork was conducted in October and November 2006, while fieldwork for the Kurdistan region was conducted during February and March 2007.
Overall, 407 personnel participated in the implementation of the survey, consisting of 100 central, local and field supervisors, 224 interviewers evenly split between males and females, and 83 central editors and data entry personnel.
The survey had an original target sample size of 10,080 households. Interviewers visited 89.4% of 1086 household clusters during the study period and the household response rate was 96.2%. 115 clusters (10.6%) were not visited due to security problems. The IFHS argues that past mortality is likely to be higher in these missed clusters. Ratios derived from comparing their surveyed clusters to corresponding data from Iraq Body Count were used to impute elevated mortality rates to these missed clusters. Using this method, the IFHS derives death rates for the missed clusters in Baghdad that are 4.0 times as high as the clusters visited by the survey in Baghdad. The same procedure in Anbar derived rates that are 1.7 times as high as clusters visited in Anbar.
The IFHS also argues that underreporting is likely to be common in household surveys, particularly due to household dissolution after the death of a household member. On this basis the authors used several demographic assessments such as the growth balance method to derive an adjustment for reporting bias. This adjustment raised the violence-related death rate by roughly 50%, from 1.09 (95% CI, 0.81 to 1.50) to 1.67 (95% uncertainty range 1.24 to 2.30).
Results.
The number of violent deaths derived from the household survey, plus the adjustments for missing clusters and reporting bias, was estimated to be 151,000 (95% uncertainty range, 104,000 to 223,000) from March 2003 through June 2006. This estimate suggests that violence was a leading cause of death for Iraqi adults and was the main cause of death in men between the ages of 15 and 59 during the reporting period.
The results were also compared to the 2006 survey by Burnham et al. reported in the "Lancet", and to the Iraq Body Count project (IBC). Naeema Al Gaseer, the WHO Representative to Iraq noted, "Our survey estimate is three times higher than the death toll detected through careful screening of media reports by the Iraq Body Count project and about four times lower than a smaller-scale household survey conducted earlier in 2006," referring to the survey by Burnham et al. reported in the "Lancet" journal in October 2006.
The "NEJM" article on the survey states that both the IFHS and the IBC "indicate that the 2006 study by Burnham et al. considerably overestimated the number of violent deaths. For example, to reach the 925 violent deaths per day reported by Burnham et al. for June 2005 through June 2006, as many as 87% of violent deaths would have been missed in the IFHS and more than 90% in the Iraq Body Count. This level of underreporting is highly improbable, given the internal and external consistency of the data and the much larger sample size and quality-control measures taken in the implementation of the IFHS." The article also notes that the IFHS and IBC are consistent with each other on both the distribution of violent deaths by province and on the trend in levels of violent deaths over time, while both sources are inconsistent with the results of the Burnham et al. survey on these issues.
The IFHS also collected data on health issues beyond mortality. One such notable finding of the survey was that a worryingly low 57% of the women surveyed said they had heard of AIDS, as compared with 84% of women in Turkey and Egypt, 91% in Morocco and 97% in Jordan.
Reactions and Criticisms.
An accompanying commentary appeared in the editorial 'Perspectives' section of the "New England Journal of Medicine" issue that contained the study. The authors commend the IFHS study group for its attempt to capture the highest-quality results, but also discuss "substantial limitations" of the IFHS and more generally of the use of household surveys to estimate mortality in circumstances such as Iraq, saying:
The sampling frame was based on a 2004 count, but the population has been changing rapidly and dramatically because of sectarian violence, the flight of refugees, and overall population migration. Another source of bias in household surveys is underreporting due to the dissolution of some households after a death, so that no one remains to tell the former inhabitants' story. Mortality estimates that are derived from surveying deaths of siblings were also calculated, but this method may also be subject to such underreporting. ... Under the current conditions in Iraq, it is difficult to envision a study that would not have substantial limitations. The circumstances that are required to produce high-quality public health statistics contrast starkly with those under which the IFHS study group worked. Indeed, it must be mentioned that one of the authors of the survey was shot and killed on his way to work.
Paul Spiegel, a medical epidemiologist at the United Nations High Commission on Refugees in Geneva, commented, "Overall, this is a very good study," adding that "this does seem more believable to me" than the earlier "Lancet" survey, which estimated 601,000 deaths from violence over the same period.
Officials in the Iraqi government had differing reactions to the report. The Iraqi Health Minister Saleh al-Hasnawi described the survey as "very sound" and said the survey indicated "a massive death toll since the beginning of the conflict," and "I believe in these numbers". However, a senior official in the Iraq Health Ministry's inspector general's office cast doubt on the findings, saying 151,000 was far too high because the numbers cited by the study were much larger than figures tracked by the ministry.
On the other hand, Jalil Hadi al-Shimmari, who oversees the western Baghdad health department,
said the 151,000 total seems roughly accurate but is probably a "modest"
one and that "the real number might be bigger than this."
Many criticisms leveled at the IFHS estimate have originated from authors of the Lancet survey or others associated with that survey. Some of these criticisms relate to an idea that respondents would have a fear of giving information about violence-related deaths to government interviewers who represented "one side of the conflict" and the reliance on Iraq Body Count's data in dangerous areas (Anbar and Nineveh provinces and parts of Baghdad).
In a January 11, 2008 article Les Roberts, co-author of the Lancet study, is quoted as saying:
They roughly found a steady rate of violence from 2003 to 2006. Baghdad morgue data, Najaf burial data, Pentagon attack data, and our data all show a dramatic increase over 2005 and 2006.
On February 24, 2009 "Morning Edition" discussed what a Baghdad central morgue statistics office worker reported to them:
the number of deaths the morgue registers never corresponds with numbers from the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Interior. "They do it on purpose," he says. "I would go home and look at the news. The ministry would say 10 people got killed all over Iraq, while I had received in that day more than 50 dead bodies just in Baghdad. It's always been like that — they would say one thing but the reality was much worse."
400,000 excess deaths?
A July 2008 article in "MedPage Today" asserts that the IFHS survey actually estimated 400,000 excess Iraqi deaths as a result of the invasion, with 151,000 being violence-related deaths (95% uncertainty range, 104,000 to 223,000) and 249,000 from non-violent causes (unknown uncertainty range). However, the Q&A published on the IFHS by the World Health Organization states that it did not estimate excess deaths:
The main "NEJM" article only briefly discusses its measured increase in non-violent mortality rates from the pre-invasion to post-invasion period:
Overall mortality from nonviolent causes was about 60% higher in the post-invasion period than in the pre-invasion period. Although recall bias may contribute to the increase, since deaths before 2003 were less likely to be reported than more recent deaths, this finding warrants further analysis.
The Q&A elaborates:
John Tirman, who commissioned and directed the funding for the 2nd "Lancet" study, stated in a January 21, 2008 "AlterNet" article:
Les Roberts said Friday, January 10, 2008:
John Tirman wrote on (February 14, 2008) in "Editor and Publisher":
Timothy R. Gulden, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy in College Park, asserted that the Iraq Family Health Survey authors "acknowledge and attempt to correct for underreporting of deaths from nonviolent causes, but they make no allowance for the more serious underreporting of violence-related deaths to government-affiliated survey takers."
Earlier Iraqi Health Minister estimate in November 2006.
When the Iraq Family Health Survey was published in January 2008 the Iraqi health minister was Dr Salih al-Hasnawi.
The previous Iraqi health minister, Ali al-Shemari, in early November 2006 estimated between 100,000 and 150,000 people had been killed since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The "Taipei Times" reported on his methodology: "Al-Shemari said on Thursday [Nov. 9, 2006] that he based his figure on an estimate of 100 bodies per day brought to morgues and hospitals -- though such a calculation would come out closer to 130,000 in total."
The "Washington Post" reported: "As al-Shemari issued the startling new estimate, the head of the Baghdad central morgue said Thursday he was receiving as many as 60 violent death victims each day at his facility alone. Dr. Abdul-Razzaq al-Obaidi said those deaths did not include victims of violence whose bodies were taken to the city's many hospital morgues or those who were removed from attack scenes by relatives and quickly buried according to Muslim custom."
From a November 9, 2006 "International Herald Tribune" article:
"Each day we lost 100 persons, that means per month 3,000, per year it's 36,000, plus or minus 10 percent," al-Shemari said. "So by three years, 120,000, half year 20,000, that means 140,000, plus or minus 10 percent," he said, explaining how he came to the figures. "This includes all Iraqis killed — police, ordinary people, children," he said, adding that people who were kidnapped and later found dead were also included in his estimate. He said the figures were compiled by counting bodies brought to "forensic institutes" or hospitals.
From the November 11, 2006 "Taipei Times" article:
An official with the ministry also confirmed the figure yesterday [Nov. 10, 2006], but later said that the estimated deaths ranged between 100,000 and 150,000. "The minister was misquoted. He said between 100,000-150,000 people were killed in three-and-a-half years," the official said.


Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes

The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI ) is a company created by the British government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. It runs clubs, bars, shops, supermarkets, launderettes, restaurants, cafés and other facilities on most British military bases and also canteens on board Royal Navy ships. Commissioned officers are not usually supposed to use the NAAFI clubs and bars, since their messes provide these facilities and their entry, except on official business, is considered to be an intrusion into junior ranks' private lives.
NAAFI personnel serving aboard ship are part of the Naval Canteen Service (NCS), wear naval uniform and have action stations, but remain ordinary civilians. NAAFI personnel can also join the Expeditionary Force Institutes (EFI), which provides NAAFI facilities in war zones. EFI personnel are members of the Territorial Army serving on special engagements, bear ranks and wear uniform. NCS personnel can similarly volunteer to join the Royal Navy when it goes on active service.
Before NAAFI.
In 1892, the Hon. Lionel Fortescue, Canteen President of the 17th Lancers, became dissatisfied with the corrupt way in which canteen finances were being handled. He established a system for keeping a locked till in the canteen and put Sergeant John Gardner in charge, an honest and able man who would later look after hundreds and thousands of pounds as one of the staff of the Navy and Army Canteen Board during World War I.
The locked till practice was soon adopted by other regiments, until another Canteen Officer, Major Harry Crauford of the Grenadier Guards was also dissatisfied with the food provided for his canteen and approached Lionel Fortescue with the idea of forming a co-operative society and doing their own buying. Together, they managed to raise £400 and founded the Canteen and Mess Co-operative Society. The rule was that interest was not to exceed five percent and all further profits were to be handed to the regimental canteens as a rebate.
They hoped that in time the co-operative would become a buying and distributing agency for the whole Army. In August 1914, all arrangements were upset by the outbreak of World War I.
The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) - the greater part of Britain's regular Army - was sent to France and hundreds of thousands of young men enlisted to fight for the King and the country.
The Government was unprepared for the problem of supplying and feeding the forces on a scale never before experienced, so a large Army entered the field with insufficient official provision. Fortunately the Canteen and Mess Society was still active and was the only contractor which was more concerned with the welfare of the troops than with making money. The Head of the society was summoned to the War Office together with the Managing Director of Richard Dickenson & Co., the soundest and most experienced firm of the canteen contractors. The two organisations were invited to establish a special department and subsequently joined together as the Expeditionary Canteens to serve the nation.
Even with the extra money and their combined strength, the service could not be increased fast enough to match the huge expansion of the Armed Forces. In the meantime, many new contractors were finding loopholes for exploiting the situation and it became clear that safeguards were needed to protect the interests of the soldiers and supervise the operations of all these vested interests.
In January 1915, a Board of Control was formed and exactly two years later the Army Canteen Committee was registered at the Board of Trade as a company trading not for profit. It absorbed the Canteen and Mess Society, and took over the contracts of Dickenson's and all the other firms supplying the Army in the UK. Within three months it also took over all canteens abroad where British troops were stationed during peace times. The Expeditionary Force Canteens were left in charge in the main theatres of war.
In June 1917 the Royal Navy were keen to share in the benefits now being felt by the British soldier and so the Army Canteen Committee assumed the new title of the Navy and Army Canteen Board. When the Royal Air Force (RAF) became a separate arm of the nation's defences in 1918, their canteens were absorbed into the Navy and Army Canteen Board.
Lionel Fortescue's vision of a unified canteen system for the Forces was starting to take shape and the nucleus of NAAFI was now in place.
NAAFI established.
After the First World War the Expeditionary Force Canteens (EFC) and the Navy and Army Canteen Board (NACB) did not return to the gratitude of the Nation. This was because EFC had made a large amount of profit from the sales of goods to the troops and opinion was divided as to what should be done with the money.
In March 1920 Winston Churchill, then Secretary of State for War, set up a committee to advise on the kind of organisation which would be needed for the Armed Forces in the future. The findings were unanimous; there should be one organisation to serve all three Services, it should be permanent and it should be able to rapidly expand or contract at times of war or peace. The Navy, Army, Air Force Institutes was therefore established on 6 December 1920 and started trading as NAAFI in 1921.
As a not for profit organisation, with no shareholders to reward, NAAFI was asked to run the catering and recreational establishments needed by the armed forces. It had to make a profit for the good of the NAAFI customers - the men and women of the British Armed Forces- and so in addition it undertook to sell goods to servicemen and their families over and above those that were initially provided by the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC). The servicemen would benefit directly by getting cash rebates and discounts on purchases and indirectly through surpluses given back as a whole from each year's trading.
For the first time the troops overseas were able to buy the same things in the canteen abroad as they could at home. NAAFI first saw overseas service in Ireland in 1922. Six years later NAAFI would have a presence in Bermuda, Ceylon, Germany, Gibraltar, Iraq, China, Jamaica, Malta, and the Middle East.
Second World War.
The NAAFI's greatest contribution was during the Second World War. The Chairman & CEO during the war years was Sir Lancelot Royle and by April 1944 the NAAFI ran 7,000 canteens and had 96,000 personnel (expanded from fewer than 600 canteens and 4,000 personnel in 1939). It also controlled ENSA, the forces entertainment organisation. In the 1940 Battle of France alone, the EFI had nearly 3,000 personnel and 230 canteens.
Male EFI personnel were members of the Royal Army Service Corps until 1965, then the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Since 1993 they have been members of the Royal Logistic Corps. Female personnel were members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service until 1949, then the Women's Royal Army Corps until 1992, when they joined the RAOC (and later the RLC).
Falklands War.
Petty Officer John Leake, NCS canteen manager in HMS "Ardent", was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) in the 1982 Falklands War for his courage while manning a machine gun.
In popular culture.
In addition to being the name of the Institute, NAAFI is also used in British service talk as a noun for a type of break, i.e. a "NAAFI break", which is a short break or tea break; or an insult to the character of another soldier, e.g. "He's NAAFI!" (No Aim, Ambition and F**k-all Interest). NAAFI has been humorously said to mean "Never 'Ave Any Fags In", referring to frequent shortages of cigarettes. A "NAAFI sandwich" consists of two pieces of bread spread with margarine placed together; that is, it is a "sandwich" with no filling.
Today.
NAAFI now operates out of bases in British Forces Germany, Brunei, Gibraltar, the South Atlantic Islands, and onboard HM Ships through the Naval Canteen Service (NCS). In Germany it provides the supply of all catering, retail and leisure. This includes running the Officers and NCO's Messes, providing the catering service as well as a number of retail outlets, coffee forums, bars and the sale of tax-free cars.


Fighting Fascism in Europe

Fighting Fascism in Europe. The World War II Letters of an American Veteran of the Spanish Civil War is a World War II biography book by Lawrence Cane. During World War II, Lawrence Cane wrote more than 300 letters home to his wife while serving in the American Army. In 1995, his son David E. Cane discovered them in a box that had remained in the attic for almost 50 years. Having fought earlier as a member of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the Spanish Republic against the Nationalist forces of General Francisco Franco, Lawrence Cane enlisted in the U. S. Army as a committed anti-fascist and with extensive combat experience.
Serving first as a white officer of the all black 582nd Engineer Dump Truck Company in the then segregated American Army, Lawrence Cane eventually landed in Normandy in the first assault waves on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Shortly thereafter he was transferred to the 238th Engineer Combat Battalion with which he served at the front for the remainder of the war in Northern Europe. He ultimately won the Silver Star for gallantry in action as well as the French Croix de Guerre.
His letters home were filled with his politically sophisticated observations and eyewitness accounts of some of the most dramatic events in history: segregated military units in an Army that was fighting against racism and oppression, the D-Day landings in Normandy, the liberation of France and Belgium, the Battle of the Bulge, the encounter with the Germans, the early stages of the occupation of Germany, and the horrors of the discovery of the concentration camps. His writings establish the clear link between the Spanish Civil War and World War II. The letters are also filled with his love for his wife, his loneliness at their separation, and his hopes and dreams for their future.
David E. Cane collaborated with two accomplished historians, Prof. Judy Barrett Litoff of Bryant University and Prof. David C. Smith of the University of Maine, to provide detailed annotations and historical background to the letters.


John Rain

John Rain is a fictional character created by Barry Eisler. He appears in eight of Eisler's espionage novels as an assassin for hire who specializes in making his victims appear to have died of natural causes. Rain is a Vietnam War veteran who served with the Special Forces; he was later recruited by the CIA, but by the time he appears in the first of the "John Rain" novels, "Rain Fall", he is working "freelance," offering his assassination services to any client willing to follow his three rules: 1) No women or children, 2) No secondary team working separately on an assassination Rain is handling, 3) Principal actors only (i.e., no hits on family members, etc., in order to "send a message").
Rain's years of training in the Special Forces, CIA, and as an assassin for hire manifest themselves in a deep-seated paranoia, an inability to trust anyone, and the drive to eliminate any loose ends (usually through killing) that may leave him vulnerable to payback or revenge.
Biographical information.
John Rain was born Junichi Fujiwara (Japanese: 藤原純一, "Fujiwara Junichi") in 1952 to a Japanese father and an American mother. He is a freelance assassin whose speciality is assassinations that appear to be death by natural causes. He has undergone plastic surgery to hide his European heritage and has dyed his brown hair. In 1960, Rain's father was killed, so his mother moved them to Dryden, NY where she taught at Cornell.
His passions include single malt whiskies and jazz. He is an accomplished martial artist with decades of experience training judo at the Kodokan and training Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil. During his initial contact with Dox in Brazil, he was also shown to be knowledgeable in sambo, as well. He is also a Vietnam veteran where he served with the US Army Special Forces and had his first encounter with the CIA that later led to his recruitment. After Vietnam, he became a mercenary, helping the Lebanese Christians in Beirut and the rebels in Afghanistan. Afterwards, he worked for the Japanese LDP, unwittingly for Yamaoto (a local powermonger) and Holtzer (a rogue CIA operative, later killed by Rain himself).
Rain is a hand-to-hand combat expert, although he is also effective when armed.
The character is featured in "Rain Fall" a 2009 major motion picture directed by Max Mannix and starring Kippei Shiina and Gary Oldman.
Family.
Koichiro.
His 2½ year old son, the result of a night with Midori Kawamura, a jazz pianist, who was the daughter of one of Rain's targets. His mother intends to tell him that his father is dead, once he becomes old enough. They live in New York City and his mother has released a CD called "Another Time."
Allies.
Dox.
Dox is an American former Marine sniper, also working as a freelance assassin. Rain meets him in Reagan-era Afghanistan. Built like a linebacker and originally sporting a goatee, Dox and Rain have formed a deep friendship, the former having turned down a chance at five million dollars in favor of helping the latter, who was badly wounded. Dox speaks with a Southern twang, and masks a deadly persona with an "aw shucks" attitude. He currently resides in Bali in a home that he built himself. Dox was recently captured and tortured by Hilger and his associates. They had a scheme to get revenge on Rain. He is later rescued by John Rain and his allies.
Delilah.
A Mossad operative, smart, sexy, and sophisticated. She was born in Haifa, Israel and speaks fluent Hebrew. She stands about 5'10" and has cobalt blue eyes. Her profession with the Mossad is to seduce potential terrorists and gather information about, to enable their assassinations. Rain got to know her as their paths crossed when he had the task to eliminate an arms dealer in Macau, who was also Delilah's target. Afterwards, they became lovers, bound by a mutual understanding for each other's profession. She is usually based in Paris and operates under the guise of a fashion photographer. Known colleagues in the Mossad include Boaz, Gil, and Naftali.
Haruyoshi.
Haruyoshi, a.k.a. "Harry", is a former NSA employee who was born in America and went to college and graduate school there, earning a degree in applied mathematics and cryptology. After hacking into too many government sites, he was forced to work for the NSA. In the first two books, he was based in Tokyo, an expert in all things technical. Rain's unwitting partner, Harry didn't know his employer's true profession—and never asked. Harry was the classic "otaku" – and, in addition to being a computer guru – was a guy who has saved Rain's life countless times by equipping him with the latest gadgetry. Harry had a "man crush" on Rain.
In the second book, he fell in love with a Japanese hostess who showed herself to be an "agent" of Yamaoto's criminal organization, hired to track John Rain's location. Haruyoshi was "disposed of" after letting Yamaoto associates find what they were looking for.
Crazy Jake.
Jim Calhoun, a childhood friend who Rain was forced to kill in Vietnam despite his better judgment. He grudgingly let Rain date his sister, Deidre.
Tomohisa "Tom" Kanezaki.
The CIA Chief of Tokyo Station. An American ethnic Japanese. He had a quid pro quo relationship with Rain. A relative novice, he developed into a seasoned spymaster thanks to associations with Rain and Tatsu.
Ishikura "Tatsu" Tatsuhiko.
The former department head of the Keisatsucho, the Japanese FBI. One-time nemesis and later, close friend/adviser to Rain. Later he is gravely ill and asks Rain to euthanize him, which Rain does reluctantly.
Naomi Nascimento.
A twenty something Brazilian national with green eyes. She met Rain while working in a Tokyo club, eventually becoming a paramour. Being linked to Rain put her in danger, so she relocated to Brazil and went on to own her own bar. The CIA pressed her for information on Rain's whereabouts once he left Japan.
Enemies.
Jim Hilger.
An ex-CIA operative, Non-official Cover, former financial planner based in Hong Kong. He ran a private spy company that took on missions the CIA could not endorse. Hilger had too much dirt on the right people, making him untouchable. He ran Wilson, Demeere, Garza, and Guthrie. With the help of those men, he tried to kill Rain and Dox, but failed. Hilger is always described as a very dangerous man, since he is an expert with handguns. He shot and killed Gil, a highly lethal Mossad assassin. Gil knew him as "Huxton" and believed him to be active CIA.
He is known to keep extremely calm, even in lethal situations, which makes him a person of authority. He has a sister named Sarah that lives in New York City. He later kidnaps Dox to force Rain into doing his bidding. This lead up to a brutal fight between him and Rain, leaving him dead and Rain wounded. Unlike the other enemies, Hilger does not act because of seeking personal gain but out of a sense of patriotism. He also cares very much about his men, being upset when John and Dox have killed them.
Yamaoto Toshi.
Powerful Yakuza Boss and politician. He was an expert in judo and had a personal vendetta against Rain after the latter kept a disc containing sensitive information from him. During his time seeking revenge on Rain he became aware of Midori and Rain's son. He used them hoping to draw Rain out of hiding; this however backfired causing only Yamaoto's death.
William Holtzer.
Former Tokyo Station Chief and Rain's nemesis in Vietnam. He ruined Rain's career path because the latter refused to collaborate in corruption. Was a "mole" and admitted as such.
Guthrie.
A member of Hilger's task force, and among those who kidnapped Dox. Was a Federal Air Marshall known for his effective combat shooting.
Frank Garza.
Also known as Pancho. Was an ex marine, boxer and 4th dan in Kenpo. He was one of Hilger's men and was known for his bad temper. Was also a sadist, who took pleasure in torturing Dox.
Drano.
Unfortunate member of Hilger's task force who was killed by Hilger himself. This was due to his arrogance and sloppiness. This was despite the fact that he was an ex Navy SEAL. The nickname Drano was created by himself rather than comrades, which shows him as incredibly narcissistic.
Demeere.
Belgian member of Hilgers team. Used to work for the DAS guarding embassies. Was proficient in both Tai Chi and knife fighting. Was also known to carry out successful renditions.
Appearances.
John Rain can be found in the following books by Barry Eisler:
Kindle World fan fiction stories.
The John Rain series has been augmented with fan or community content, fan fiction publisher Kindle Worlds has been publishing stories that star John Rain or exist within John Rain's world.
Film and television.
Rain also appears in a mostly Japanese film version of "Rain Fall" (2009), produced by Sony Pictures Japan and starring Shiina Kippei and Gary Oldman.


Richmond Shipyards

The four Richmond Shipyards, located in the city of Richmond, California, United States, were run by Permanente Metals and part of the Kaiser Shipyards. During World War II, Richmond built more ships than any other shipyard, turning out as many as three ships in a single day. The shipyards are part of the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park, whose the Rosie the Riveter memorial honors the shipyard workers. Shipyard #3 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a California Historical Landmark # 1032.
History.
Henry J. Kaiser had been building cargo ships for the U.S. Maritime Commission in the late 1930s. When he received orders for ships from the British government, already at war with Nazi Germany, Kaiser established his first Richmond shipyard in December 1940. The shipyard legacy continues by virtue of its innovative medical care, which was derived from Kaiser's earlier California Colorado Aqueduct Project insurance and today called Kaiser Permanente.
The four Richmond Kaiser Shipyards built 747 ships during World War II, a rate never equaled. Compared to the average ship built elsewhere, Richmond ships were completed in two-thirds the time and at a quarter of the cost. The Liberty ship SS "Robert E. Peary" was assembled in less than five days as a part of a competition among shipyards. By 1944, the yard routinely needed only a bit more than two weeks to assemble a Liberty ship. By the end of the war the Richmond Shipyards had built $1.8 billion worth of ships.
Kaiser and his workers applied mass assembly line techniques to building the ships. This production line technique, bringing pre-made parts together, moving them into place with huge cranes and having them welded together by "Rosies" (actually "Wendy the Welders" here in the shipyards), allowed unskilled laborers to do repetitive jobs requiring relatively little training to accomplish. This sped up construction, allowed more workers to be mobilized, and opened jobs to women and minorities.
During the war, thousands of men and women worked in this area in hazardous jobs. Actively recruited by Kaiser, they came from all over the United States to swell the population of Richmond from 20,000 to over 100,000 in three years. For many of them, this was the first time they worked, earned money, and faced the problems of working parents: finding day care and housing.
Women and minorities entered the workforce in areas previously denied to them. However, they still faced unequal pay, were shunted off into "auxiliary" unions and still had to deal with prejudice and inequities. During the war, labor strikes and sit-down work stoppages eventually led to better conditions.
Many workers commuted from other parts of the Bay Area to the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond on the Shipyard Railway, a temporary wartime railway whose trains used cars of the local Key System and whose line extended from a depot in Emeryville to a loop serving all four shipyards.
The SS "Red Oak Victory" is docked nearby Kaiser Richmond No. 3 Yard.
Kaiser Richmond shipyards.
For World War 2 Kaiser opened four shipyards in San Pablo Bay, the northern part of San Francisco Bay each using prefabricated parts to built ships. Prefabricated subcontractors included: Graham Ship Repair Company, Herrick Iron Works, Independent Iron Works, Berkeley’s Trailer Company of America, Steel Tank & Pipe Company, California Steel Products Corporation, Pacific Coast Engineering in Alameda and Clyde W. Wood Company in Stockton.
Kaiser Richmond No. 1 Yard.
Kaiser Richmond No. 1 Yard was a new shipyard built to support the demand for ships for World War 2. Kaiser purchased the contact and the yard to built type Ocean ship from the Todd Shipyards Corporation in 1940. Kaiser built yard No. 1 to build the Ocean ships. Yard No. 1 was built on unoccupied land with construction starting in December 1940. In April 1941 the keel for the first British bound Ocean ship was laid. The next series of ships built were Liberty ships, with the first keel laid on May 15, 1942. Needing faster cargo ships the next series of ships built were Victory ships, with the first keel laid on January 17, 1944. After the war, in 1946, the yard closed. Kaiser Richmond No. 1 Yard was located at 700 Wright Ave, Richmond on the Parr Canal. The site now has general docks for construction supplies. Located at GPS .
Built at Kaiser Richmond No. 1 Yard:
Notable ships: , , , and .
Kaiser Richmond No. 2 Yard.
Kaiser Richmond No. 2 Yard started as a joint project of Kaiser Permanente Metals Corporation and Todd Shipyards Corporation. Construction of its first Liberty Ship at the site started in September 1941. Permanente Metals was a subcontractor building many of the pre-fabricated parts of the ships. Kaiser purchased Todd's interest in the yard in 1942 and renamed it Kaiser Richmond No. 2 Yard. The yard started by working 6 keels at a time and at its peak was working on 12 keels a day. Most ships being built in under 30 days. The yard was built starting in 1941 and closed at the end of the war in 1945, no traces of yard No. 2 remains. The yard was located at 1923 Esplanade Drive, Richmond. The site is now the north side of the Inner Harbour Basin, in the Richmond Marina Bay, at Marina Bay Park. At the park is the Rosie the Riveter Memorial. GPS site is .
Built at Kaiser Richmond No. 2 Yard:
Notable ships: , , , , , , , , and .
Kaiser Richmond No. 3 Yard.
Kaiser Richmond No. 3 Yard opened in 1943 and built Kaiser's largest ships, the Type C4-class ship, General G. O. Squier-class transport ships. These ships had a 12,420 GRT with a length of 523 feet (159 m). While the yard closed at the end of the war in 1946 the shipyard was not taken apart. The shipyard is still intact and there have been unsuccessful attempts to reopen the yard. Kaiser Richmond No. 3 Yard is located at 1040 Canal Boulevard, Richmond at Point Potrero. At 1337 Canal Boulevard Berth 5, Richmond is the SS Red Oak Victory Cargo ship a Museum ship. Kaiser Richmond No. 3 Yard thus became the U.S. National Register of Historic Place and California Historical Landmark. At GPS .
Built at Kaiser Richmond No. 3 Yard:
Notable ships: and .
Kaiser Richmond No. 4 Yard.
Kaiser Richmond No. 4 Yard was planned to be called Richmond #3A Yard, as just an expansion of Richmond #3. But when opened became its own shipyard with separate management. The yard opened in 1943 and closed at the end of the war in 1945. The yard was located at 800 Wharf Street Richmond, on the south side of Richmond Inner Harbor Channel's Santa Fe Channel. The site now is Sugar Dock, a deepwater service port in Point Richmond. At GPS .
Built at Kaiser Richmond No. 4 Yard:
Notable ships: , , , , and .


Theodore Pian

Theodore Hsueh-Huang Pian (; 19 January 1919 – 20 June 2009) was a Chinese-born American engineer.
A Shanghai native, born on 18 January 1919, Pian grew up in Tianjin, where he attended Nankai Middle School, and graduated from Tsinghua University in 1940. He began working in aerospace engineering in Kunming，Yunnan, terminals of the Burma Road. Pian left China for the United States in 1943, earning a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology the next year, after which he worked for Curtiss Airplane Division and served in the United States Marine Corps. In 1945, he married Rulan Chao. Theodore Pian joined the MIT faculty, shortly after graduating from the institution with a doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics in 1948. He retired in 1990, but remained an adviser to many Chinese students. Over the course of his career, Pian was elected a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering and Academia Sinica. He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts on 20 June 2009, aged 90.