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Talk:Nose grab

Someone can attempt to translate this into English and put it back in the article:

 * A nose grab is when you your ollie an crouch at the direction of your nose and take it with your hand that's close to your nose

Good luck... —Frecklefoot 20:44 21 Jul 2003 (UTC)

 * Sorry, but that is probably closer to common English (language] than most articles on maths frex. Even though I do not use a skateboard, I had no trouble whatsoever understanding the information he was trying to impart. Needs to fix the grammar, but I think just removing the info altogether is rather harsh. -- Cimon Avaro on a pogo-stick 21:19 21 Jul 2003 (UTC)

 * I didn't intend to be harsh, but I couldn't make heads or tails of the sentence. I didn't even intend for it to be ripped out permanently.  I just wanted it reworded so it was understandable.  Anyway, it's a moot point--it's been fixed and put back in the article. —Frecklefoot 17:32 22 Jul 2003 (UTC)

title: Talk:Nose grab


text:
User talk:Nostrum

Hi Nostrum, I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish with your highly POV edits to Catholicism - they are rambling, with poor grammar & spelling, and just not Wikipedia caliber. It's clear you are on some anti-Catholic kick; there are other places on the net to vent yourself - not here. Since you insist on revelling(spelling error) in the so-called "sex-abuse scandal", you may consider working on the article Catholic priests' sex(grammer error) abuse scandal. Harris7 02:08 23 Jul 2003 (UTC)

You are right that I do not support many of the Catholic standards, but there is no such thing as, "Wikipedia caliber." If you think I spell poorly then you can sinply edit the spelling, you do know how to spell, don't you. Censor something else.

There are basic requirements of accuracy and NPOV (Neutral Point of View). People are also expected to be able to communicate that NPOV is a clear manner. Your edits are inaccurate, not remotely NPOV and almost unreadable. People on wiki come from all viewpoints, all religions and none, all political analyses and all cultures and all, without exception, are required to follow the wiki requirements of accuracy and NPOV. Anything that you write that fails to meet those standards will be deleted. If you want any of your work to survive on wiki and not be deleted then learn how to write in an NPOV manner. If your agenda is to use wiki to bash some group, whether it is Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Arabs, gays, straights, men, women, black or white or any group, then go elsewhere. Point of View (POV) rantings are not tolerated on wikipedia and will be deleted on sight and you will be just wasting your time putting them on because they will all end up in the bin.

If you want to contribute, learn to write in an NPOV manner. That is what Harris7 meant by "wikipedia caliber". If you cannot reach that standard, then you will be wasting your time here. FearÉIREANN 02:45 23 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Neutral Point of View means attributing material, that appears to you to be a matter of opinion, to those who hold that opinion. It does not necessarily mean removing the material. After all even if the material is not in itself true, it may still be a fact that some sucker believes it to be true -- and that's worth recording. Also censorship is, in a way, a continual process on a wiki. We continuously censor and edit each others work. If you can't handle that, you will find the Wikipedia to be a very frustrating place. But you're a grown-up, I'm sure that you'll adapt. Cheers Derek Ross

Thank you all for writing in my personal space. I am attempting to write in NPOV, but I'm concerned because I think I'm writing in a method which is only depicting facts, but appearantly you believe it is barely readable, obviously a POV statement. Don't be a hypocrit, but if you do have some method that would help me write in a better method, more NPOV, then a couple examples would be more than welcome. Thank you again my children. Nostrum02:50 23 Jul 2003 (UTC)

You're welcome, Grandpa. For examples and method take a look at NPOV where you will find helpful information. -- Derek Ross

I have mentioned your case near the top of problem users -- I wish you luck in dealing with what I consider unacceptable behaviour on the part of others. Pizza Puzzle

Your text is unreadable, your information is selective, your interpretation is wrong and your knowledge of the topic is non-existent. Since when are Mormons catholics? Since when are Born Again Christians called New Born Christians? And they sure as hell aren't catholics and would take high offence at you suggesting that they are. If that POV stuff is put in again it will be deleted, and continue to be deleted. If you are going to write about a topic, please pick one you know something about because you clearly know very very very little about catholicism and this is an encyclopædic article on the topic, not the National Enquirer. FearÉIREANN 06:32 23 Jul 2003 (UTC)

-- Regardless of whether or not you wrote the deeply flawed content at question, you've been restoring it. For reasons for the revert and protection of the page, I refer to the comments already posted on the Catholicism talk page. 172

--- The forum for discussion is the talk page, not the article. Your assertion that you haven't had a fair hearing is also groundless. The text that you've been posting has received a great deal of attention. 172

Due to all the problems with the text at question that have been identified, please post the portions that you want to have added on a talk page. They will be reviewed promptly by those who have actively contributed content to Catholicism-related topics and topics pertaining to the sex abuse scandal. If they meet encyclopedic standards, a place will be found for them. 172

I thought you might be interested in the discussion going on recently on the mailing list. Specifically, I thought you might be interested in this post. I suggest you read over the other recently written posts about you, and maybe even respond to some. You can sign-up for the mailing list here. You can find mailing list info here. MB 23:12 23 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Could you please fix the spelling errors on your personal user page if you expect us to take you seriously? clarka 8 August 2003

- Please do not place comments in articles - it makes them look amateurish. Direct future comments to talk pages or, if you must, as HTML comments in the wikitext. --mav 10:13, 13 Aug 2003 (UTC)

Hi Matt. It's good to see you're back. I figured you had left for good. I hope that you don't get discouraged by peoples bad attitude towards you. It seems as though people have labeled you a vandal b/c of your personal POV. Just try and step back and make sure you aren't making POV edits. If you are, someone will bring it up, and you can discuss it. I would like to make it clear that not all of us see you as a vandal. I completely understand what it is like to be a newbie, and make mistakes. Although you have jumped into things a bit too quickly. I might suggest that you take some extra time to look around. Check out some community pages, and tutorials. Below is a list of articles you may be interested, or ariticles that might help you out:

Rachel Corrie (she was interested in resistance techniques too) Village pump (very useful) Votes for deletion Pages needing attention Auto-biography Vandalism in progress WikiMoney Press coverage Utilities Standard user greeting Standard GFDL violation letter Sites that use Wikipedia for content International logo contest (contest going on at the meta).

I hope you enjoy these links. Good luck, feel free to ask me anything. マイカル (MB) 19:34, Aug 14, 2003 (UTC)

Your whiteboard project.
May I humbly suggest that what you are doing is just as counterproductive as the /ban page that was put on you. You can show character by not going through with it. -- Cimon Avaro on a pogo-stick 01:16, Aug 15, 2003 (UTC)

On foolishness and the display of it.
Let me be very precise here. You look much more foolish than 172 at this moment. Read the sentence a few times with some thought.

The thing is that a certain amount of inexperience is expected of any new prospective contributor. If you have experienced resistance that seems excessive, the precise reason for that is that you have evinced greater, and more persistent "foolishness" than many other newcomers. You should think about that.

Really think about it.

I can't really help you much more beyond that at this point. You have to do much of the brainwork yourself here to turn things around. -- Cimon Avaro on a pogo-stick 01:45, Aug 15, 2003 (UTC)

P.S. 172 SHOULD KNOW BETTER, BUT YOU SHOULD LEARN.

It would be in your best interest to blank User:Nostrum/White_board. The relevent information has been moved to Requests_for_adminship. マイカル (MB) 14:36, Aug 15, 2003 (UTC)

Please read my request on User talk:Nostrum/ban. マイカル (MB) 23:48, Aug 15, 2003 (UTC) -- I just now saw the message that you placed on my user page (user talk works best). A: No problem. All newbies have a bit of trouble at first (I know I did!). Some simply have more trouble than others because they have different ideas on what Wikipedia is and and how it should be used. Aside: Hm. What is it about Wikipedia that attracts a disproportionately large number of gay people? You might find this list interesting: Queer Wikipedians. BTW, I hope you and 172 can get along. --mav 10:34, 16 Aug 2003 (UTC)

I just wanted to let you know Matt, I had an idea of 2 articles I think you would enjoy working on. They have yet to be created, so I think it would be a good experience for you to start them (since you have shown interest in them). First Data manipulation, second Resistance techniques. A resource I found that might help with Data manipulation is http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk. Best of luck. Mike, マイカル 18:15, Aug 16, 2003 (UTC)

Thank you very much 172. I am extremely elated that we could work this out. I promise this is the mark of a great beginning to a long friendship.Nostrum 00:09, 17 Aug 2003 (UTC)

Two things: 1. It is generally most effective to respond to people on their talk pages. 2. I found this page for you Non-violent resistance. Hope it helps. マイカル 20:00, Aug 17, 2003 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User talk:Nostrum


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RV Polarstern

RV Polarstern (meaning pole star) is a German research icebreaker of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany. Polarstern was built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel and Nobiskrug in Rendsburg, was commissioned in 1982, and is mainly used for research in the Arctic and Antarctica. The ship has a length of 118 metres (387 feet) and is a double-hulled icebreaker. She is operational at temperatures as low as -50 C. Polarstern can break through ice 1.5 m thick at a speed of 5 kn. Thicker ice of up to 3 m can be broken by ramming.

History
On 7 September 1991, Polarstern, assisted by the Swedish arctic icebreaker Oden, reached the North Pole as the first conventional powered vessels. Both scientific parties and crew took oceanographic and geological samples and had a common tug of war and a football game on an ice floe. In 2001, Polarstern together with USCGC Healy reached the pole again. She returned for a third time on 22 August 2011. This time she reported the most frequently recurring ice thickness at 0.9 m compared with 2 m in 2001.

On 2 March 2008, one of the vessel's helicopters crashed on a routine flight to the Antarctic Neumayer II base. The German pilot and a Dutch researcher were killed, and three other passengers were injured.

On 17 October 2008, Polarstern was the first research ship ever to travel through both the Northeast Passage and the Northwest Passage in one cruise, thus circumnavigating the North Pole.

The German government in 2015 issued a request for bids on the construction of a replacement for Polarstern, but did not award a contract and eventually withdrew the request in early 2020 as it no longer covered current technological demands for a long-term, efficient and economic vessel.

On 20 September 2019 Polarstern sailed from Tromsø, Norway, for a 12 to 14 month-long Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition across the Arctic. She settled in an ice floe on 4 October 2019. The aim was drifting with this floe, passing the North pole and eventually reaching open water in the Fram Strait. While stuck in the ice in March 2020, a member of the aircraft team who had not yet joined the ship in the Arctic tested positive for COVID-19. This resulted in the entire aircraft team being placed in isolation in Germany and caused delays in the retrieval of scientific data from around the ship to provide context to the data taken aboard. After 389 days, this 2019 – 2020 arctic expedition successfully ended on 12 October 2020 when the research vessel safely returned to its home port of Bremerhaven, Germany.

A revised request for bids for a replacement, reflecting changes in technology since the first was issued, was expected, with Polarstern II possibly ordered in 2022 to enter service in 2026 or 2027. The new vessel could cost over €800m, and could include hybrid diesel-electric propulsion, integrated under-water robotic systems and several helicopter landing options.

Expeditions updates
Current listings of all cruises on board Polarstern as well as associated contents (e.g., tracklines, weekly reports, cruise reports, publications and data) are presented on the platform portal of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) for Polar and Marine Research.

In popular culture
The ship plays a central role in German musician Schiller's 2010 album Atemlos (German for breathless). A track is titled after the ship. It is also featured in the DVD of the same title, showing the musician's expedition on the vessel.

title: RV Polarstern


text:
Christ's Hospital

Christ's Hospital is a public school (English fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter, located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. The school was founded in 1552 and the royal charter granted in 1553 (26 June, 7 Edw. VI). Since its establishment, Christ's Hospital has been a charity school, with a core aim to offer children from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance of a better education.

Charitable foundation
Christ's Hospital is unusual among British independent schools in that the majority of the students receive bursaries. This stems from its founding charter as a charitable school. School fees are paid on a means-tested basis, with substantial subsidies paid by the school or their benefactors, so that pupils from all walks of life are able to have private education that would otherwise be beyond the means of their parents.

The trustees of the foundation are the Council of Almoners, chaired by the Treasurer of Christ's Hospital, who govern the foundation according to a Scheme of Administration granted by the Charity Commission. The historic Court of Governors survives as a formal institution consisting of over 650 benefactors but its powers have since the 19th century been largely transferred to the smaller Council of Almoners.

In 2007 Christ's Hospital was formally separated into two related registered charities: Christ's Hospital Foundation and Christ's Hospital School.

History

Christ's Hospital was the result of the foundation by Henry VIII and confirmed by Edward VI, assisted by Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, and Sir Richard Dobbs, Lord Mayor of London. Its genesis was the earlier dissolution of the monasteries and the resultant overflow onto the streets of the poor and destitute. Encouraged by a sermon from Ridley, exhorting mercy to the poor, the king wrote to the Lord Mayor encouraging him to action. This he did via a committee of 30 merchants. Henry VIII had already granted the use of Greyfriars to the city for the relief of the poor and to house the homeless children which the magistrates had taken notice of. In 1553 (26 June, 7 Edw. VI) Edward granted Bridewell Palace, his lands at the Savoy, and rents and other chattels to create three Royal Hospitals – Christ's Hospital, Bridewell Hospital (now the King Edward's School, Witley, Surrey) and St Thomas' Hospital. The three institutions use the same coat of arms, although slightly modified by the latter.

The first boys and girls entered the school in Newgate in 1552. The Royal charter was granted and signed by its founder, Edward VI, the following year. The first treasurer was Richard Grafton. The Protestant foundation survived the Marian period and in the 1560s it sent its first scholars to Oxford and Cambridge.

The school occupied Newgate as its major site for 350 years, but from time to time children were housed in other parts of the country. 32 children perished during the Great Plague of 1665. In the following year the Great Fire of London destroyed much of the hospital, except four cloisters and three wards, but there were no casualties among the children. Around 200 pupils were sent to Islington and Clerkenwell and then to Ware and Hertford.

By the end of the 17th century the buildings had been rebuilt with the assistance of Sir Christopher Wren, a governor of Christ's Hospital, and Nicholas Hawksmoor, who designed the Writing School (1696). The church of Christ Church, Newgate Street, designed by Wren, replaced the damaged choir of the former Greyfriars' church and served as a place of worship for the children of Christ's Hospital in the city until the move to Horsham. Through the will of the royal jeweller, George Heriot, it also became the inspiration for the foundation of George Heriot's Hospital in Edinburgh, which was the first of the "Hospital Schools" to be founded in Scotland.

Christ's Hospital was given its second Royal charter by Charles II in 1673. This created the Royal Mathematical School, the original purpose of which was to train mathematicians and navigators who would serve as naval officers and merchant seafarers. Samuel Pepys, Secretary to His Majesty's Navy and from 1699 vice-president of Christ's Hospital, made a considerable contribution to Christ's Hospital. Isaac Newton, Jonas Moore, John Flamsteed, and Edmund Halley contributed to plans for the course of study of the new school within the foundation.

The girls of the hospital settled at Hertford from 1707. The governors had been paying a teacher in Hertford from 1653, and the removal of some children from London following the Great Fire strengthened the link with the town. In 1761, 200 boys under the age of ten along with the boys from Ware were relocated to Hertford. In 1778 the last girls were moved out of London to join the others at Hertford, where the school was rebuilt 1795–1798 to provide accommodation for the new numbers.

Christ's Hospital's most famous upper master was James Boyer who presided from 1778 to 1799 and instructed James Leigh Hunt, Charles Lamb, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

In November 1815 the "most infamous Regency flagellant”, an MP named Sir Eyre Coote, entered Christ's Hospital mathematical school, sent away the younger boys and paid the older ones for a session of mutual flogging. The school nurse arrived to find him buttoning his breeches; England's satirical press had come of age in time to make the very most of such a moment. Coote endured a cartoon by George Cruikshank, a vaunted caricaturist, and national humiliation.

The notable London architects, John Shaw Senior and John Shaw Junior, were architects and surveyors to Christ's Hospital throughout the first half of the 1800s. The Shaws' work included the old school hall (c.1825).

The Duke of Cambridge started a tradition of Royal Presidents in 1854.

A commission of inquiry in 1837 proposed reforms, and in 1864 the Taunton Commission investigated the endowed schools. As a result of this a greater number of girls were admitted. However, in the 1890s boys still outnumbered girls at Hertford.

Another commission in 1877 proposed a new site for the school, where all the boys would be taught. This proposal was questioned by some of the governors. The Duke of Cambridge said:

"I am one of those who are perfectly prepared to go with the spirit of the age in which we live, but I confess that I am also one of those who do not love change for change’s sake. To upset an old and long standing institution... is a very dangerous experiment to try."

However, the proposal was carried out. 1200 acre of land outside Horsham in Sussex was purchased from the Aylesbury Dairy Company for £47,500. The foundation stone was laid by Edward, Prince of Wales on 23 October 1897, on behalf of the sovereign, the date being the anniversary of the birthday of the founder. The new school was designed by architect Aston Webb, with fireplaces by Leonard Shuffrey. Historic architectural features from the old school buildings (the Grecians' Arch and the Wren Arch) were salvaged and incorporated in the new buildings.

The boys were relocated from Newgate and Hertford to the new site in 1902. Hertford became a girls-only school.

Over the centuries Christ's Hospital has continued to enjoy royal patronage. In 1919, George V became the first royal patron, followed by George VI in 1937 and Elizabeth II in 1953.

Sexual abuse of pupils from 1969 to 2001 led to six former teachers being convicted of offences after more than 20 former students made complaints to the police in 2016. The convicted former teachers were sentenced to prison terms of up to 17 years.

Architecture
The ensemble of buildings in the Christ's Hospital Horsham campus were Grade II* listed in 1959. The complex includes a tall water tower, a dining hall facing a quadrangle flanked by collannaded wings, and a school chapel.

The red brick colonnades are joined to the dining hall with stone archways which were designed by John Shaw in 1836 for the old school in Newgate Street in the City of London. These archways were dismantled and re-erected here at the Horsham site in 1902.

The Big School is noted for its large Perpendicular-style windows, its octagonal turrets and a square clock tower on the roof. Another remnant of the Newgate Street school is to be found at the south end of the Big School, the portico designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

The dining hall is dominated by an 86 ft-long painting by Antonio Verrio which depicts the foundation of the Royal Mathematical School at Christ's by King Charles II in 1673. The canvas contains over 100 figures, including Charles II, and King James II was added at a later date. The painting had previously hung in the former Great Halls in London for over 320 years.

The school chapel was designed by Aston Webb and E Bell. The Bath stone reredos at the east end depicts Christ in Glory surrounded by sculptures of the Twelve Apostles, and in the lower panel is Christ receiving the children. The Apostles were designed by William Silver Frith, with the central panel by William Bateman Fagan and Bell, and carved by stonemasons Daymond & Son. Another work by Frith is s statue of the Good Shepherd in a niche above the chapel door, which was installed as a war memorial in memory of Old Blues who died in World War I.

The altar, by Norman & Burt of Burgess Hill, is in mahogany inlaid with holly ornamentation. The stained-glass window is by Thomas Ralph Spence and the pipe organ was built by Alfred Kirkland.

The walls of the chapel nave are adorned with a series of sixteen murals, painted by Frank Brangwyn in tempera in 1912-23. The murals illustrate scenes from the early Christian Church, including depictions of the martyrdom of St Alban, St Columba landing at Iona, St Ambrose training his choir, and St Paul.

Traditions
Links with the City and the Lord Mayor of London are maintained, with an annual parade through the City of London on St Matthew's Day and a regular place in the Lord Mayor's Show.

One of the Christ's Hospital traditions is marching into lunch with the band, which is done every day except Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, weather permitting.

Another is the annual speech-day parade, where the Lord Mayor of London and his procession watch the school perform a march-past through the main quad. They also join the school in chapel for a grand service, and eat lunch with the Grecian year and their parents. Lastly they move to Big School to hear the Senior Grecian's oration and witness the Grecian prize-giving. This is held on the Saturday at the start of the Summer Half Term.

Uniform
The Tudor school uniform consists of belted, long blue coats, knee-breeches, yellow socks, and bands at the neck. The uniform has been in place since 1553. The nickname "Blue-coat School" comes from the blue coats worn by the students; however, the nickname used within the school community itself is "Housey" and the long coat is called a "Housey coat". Variants of the Housey Coat include a version with larger buttons and velvet cuffs, known as the 'Buttons' coat. These are issued to the Monitors, a group of Grecian prefects, as well as an academic commendation to Grecian pupils. Those in the latter category wear these coats with the third button on the cuff undone to signify this distinction.

Second and third form pupils wear a simple leather belt with a buckle. When pupils reach their "Little Erasmus" year (year 9), they were presented with more elaborate hallmarked sterling silver 'broadie' buckles and belts, which the pupils keep after leaving the school. However, today the 'broadie' buckles tend to be made of base metal with a silver coating. It is also not uncommon for pupils with parents or siblings who attended the school to wear additionally the buckles of their relatives, leading to some pupils to have as many as 5 buckles on their broadie belt. Special buckles are also issued to House Captains, as well as the Senior Grecian (the senior student of the school).

A complementary uniform was introduced for girls on re-unification of the schools in 1985 when the girls' part of the school closed in Hertford and moved to Horsham. This consists of a knee-length pleated skirt, summer jacket, yellow socks (for the boys and junior girls), and grey socks or grey/black tights for senior girls, as well as the long coat in winter, and the bands.

During periods of hot weather conditions, the Head Teacher may allow pupils to wear so-called 'Half Housey', where the Housey coat may be left off and shirts and breeches/skirts only be worn.

In 2011 students and alumni stated that they saw the uniform as an important way of giving the school a unique identity and unifying the school. Around that time the administrators had discussed the idea of updating the uniform. Over 95% of students voted in favour of keeping the original uniform.

Admissions
As a guide, children entering Christ's Hospital at age 11 into Year 7 need to show evidence of academic potential, working towards the higher end of the ability range in both the Mathematics and English National Curriculum syllabuses.

The assessment process for a bursary place is in two stages. An initial assessment in October which is followed by a residential assessment in January.

Admission in Year 9 is also based on Christ's Hospitals own assessment process. Candidates for entry at age 13 into Year 9 who do not require a bursary may choose to apply to be tested at age 11 and have their place deferred.

All applicants at Year 12 should be on course to achieve a minimum of four A (level 7 grades) and four B (level 6 grades) at GCSE. Following an assessment process, offers are made which are conditional on achieved performance at GCSE.

In all cases reports will be requested from a candidate's current head teacher.

Historic methods of entry
Christ's Hospital has a number of historic methods of entry that are attached to bursary applications.

Wests' Gift for Children
John and Frances West lived in the latter part of the 17th and early part of the 18th centuries. John became a wealthy merchant in the City of London and lived in a house on the site that is now occupied by the Mansion House.

John and Frances had no children of their own but they did have strong family connections with Newbury, Reading, Twickenham and the City of London. Children from these areas are therefore encouraged to apply for a place at Christ's Hospital via the West Gift Bursary fund.

RAF Foundationers Trust and 617 Squadron
Sir Barnes Wallis, a former pupil, governor and treasurer set up the RAF Foundationers Trust in 1951. An award was made to him in recognition of his work by the 617 Squadron of the RAF and Wallis set up the fund with the award. The RAF Benevolent Fund donated a like amount.

The fund provides an income for the education of a small number of children in the school at any one time. Consideration for places is given to children of personnel who are serving or who have served in the RAF.

Royal Navy/Royal Mathematical School
Samuel Pepys was a governor and Vice President of the school; he instigated the opening of the Royal Mathematical School at Christ's Hospital in 1673 which was founded to educate children in mathematics for the practice of navigation. As a result, special consideration for a maximum of forty places is given to children of personnel who are serving, or have served in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines or Royal Naval Reserve.

City livery companies
Christ's Hospital was founded in the City of London over 460 years ago as a charity funded by city businesses and the church to provide training/education to poor street children. The school retains its connections with these organisations, some of which have an ancient right to 'present' a child to the school.

The school Admissions Office is able to advise whether any presentations are available for a child's year of entry.

Academic results
Academic Results:

 * GCSE Results (2023): 59% achieved grades 9-7.
 * A Level Results (2023): 41% attained A*/A grades, with 67% securing A*-B grades.
 * Average IB Point Score (2023): Impressive average of 37 points.

 * GCSE Results (2019): 63% achieved grades 9-7.
 * A Level Results (2019): 35% attained A*/A grades, with 61% securing A*-B grades.
 * Average IB Score (2019): Average score stood at 34 points.

External inspection
In late November 2018, Christ's Hospital underwent a whole school inspection carried out by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. The school met all standards without any action points given.

Music
Christ's Hospital has a long and distinguished musical tradition and has one of the largest school music departments in the country, with around 35 visiting staff and eight full-time staff. Famous alumni of Christ's Hospital Music School include conductors Sir Colin Davis, Charles Hazlewood, Adrian Bawtree and Simon Joly, trumpeter David Mason (formerly Principal Trumpet of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), composer Tim Benjamin, and composer and conductor Constant Lambert.

The school's chapel has a large five-manual Rushworth and Dreaper organ, one of four organs in the school (the others being a 3-manual 1829 Hill in Big School, played on by Mendelssohn and Karg-Elert, a 2-manual Father Willis in the Dining Hall, and a Flight and Robson chamber organ in the Court Room). The near 150-strong Chapel Choir has made many recordings and through these has earned an excellent reputation.

Throughout the school's history, many pupils have gone on to take up choral and organ scholarships at Oxford and Cambridge universities or have gained places at leading music conservatories. The school has a symphony orchestra, a chapel choir and many other smaller instrumental ensembles and choirs, along with an annual House Singing Competition. The Music Department organises a public concert every February at St John's, Smith Square in London. The school is also famous as the first place in England to host a complete cycle of the chamber music of Brahms, under the direction of the then Head of Piano John Thwaites.

Christ's Hospital was featured in the first series of the reality television programme Rock School, in which Gene Simmons of Kiss helped a group of pupils form their own rock band.

The school's most famous ensemble is its marching band, simply named Christ's Hospital Band. It plays for the daily parade and performs in the annual Lord Mayor's Show in the City of London. The band also has a regular engagement each summer at Lord's Cricket Ground. The band led the procession at the Queen's 80th birthday parade in London on 21 April 2006 and has played at Twickenham Stadium on a number of occasions.

Drama
An Arts Centre complex designed by architect Bill Howell was opened in 1974, including a theatre with Tudor-style auditorium, an extension to the music school, the 'Octagon' rehearsal/performance space, and classrooms.

The Christ's Hospital Arts Centre served as a principal arts venue for Horsham and the surrounding area until the establishment of an arts centre in Horsham in the 1980s. A programme of performances continues to be open to the public.

Former pupils in theatre and film include Jason Flemyng, Leo Gregory, James D'Arcy, Michael Wilding and Roger Allam.

Houses
Christ's Hospital has introduced a small number of day students since 2011; however, most of the students continue to be boarders. The school houses are named after notable Old Blues (the CH-specific term for alumni), primarily writers. Each house has an "A" and "B" side, home to roughly 45 pupils. The houses are arranged from west to east as follows:

Avenue houses

 * Peele – George Peele (boys) House Captain Kaidu Saliho (2023-2024)
 * Thornton – Edward Thornton (girls)
 * Middleton – Thomas Middleton (boys)
 * Coleridge – Samuel Taylor Coleridge (girls)
 * Lamb – Charles Lamb (boys)
 * Barnes – Thomas Barnes (girls)
 * Maine – Henry James Sumner Maine (boys)
 * Leigh-Hunt – Leigh Hunt (girls)

The sixteen original main boarding houses stretch from Peele to Leigh Hunt along The Avenue, built as four H-blocks on either side of the main Quad. Leigh Hunt was originally the pair of preparatory houses, Prep A and Prep B, and were converted to junior houses on the abolition in 1964 of entry at the age of nine.

The sixteen original houses provided two dormitories (Upper Dorm and Lower Dorm) sleeping up to about 30 boys each. As the merger of the boys and girls approached, some dormitories were divided into cubicles, and subsequent developments created dormitories accommodating about twelve pupils each. Since 2001 there has been a rolling refurbishment programme, with the refurbished houses providing a range of accommodation: four-bed rooms for the junior pupils to one-bed rooms for the more senior pupils.

Until 1964, boys at Horsham lived in all-through houses from 2nd Form to Grecians (with the exception of Prep A and Prep B). Then houses were divided into senior houses (Peele, Thornton, Middleton, Coleridge and Lamb) and Junior houses (Barnes, Maine, Leigh Hunt) with boys transferring to a senior house after Little Erasmus. In conjunction with the merger, a further reorganisation occurred with each house converting to a senior side and a junior side. This system reverted to the all-through houses in 2000, now from 2nd Form to Deps.

Grecians houses
Year 13 (Grecian) students move to Grecians houses, which provide a transitional style of life in preparation for university or life beyond school. The two Grecians houses were completed early in 2001, and have individual study bedrooms plus several general common rooms and kitchenettes shared by a group of seven to ten pupils, thus introducing pupils to life in a mixed communal environment as they prepare themselves for university.

 * Grecians West (for pupils who were previously in Peele, Thornton, Middleton, and Coleridge)
 * Grecians East (for pupils who were previously in Lamb, Barnes, Maine, and Leigh Hunt)

Alumni
People educated at Christ's Hospital are called Old Blues.

Staff
Head teachers have included:
 * James Boyer (1778–1799)
 * George Andrew Jacob (1853–1868)
 * Arthur William Trollope (1799–1826)
 * William Hamilton Fyfe (1919–1930?)

Other notable teachers have included:
 * Edward Baldwin, 4th Earl Baldwin of Bewdley
 * Adrian Bawtree
 * Edward Buck
 * Samuel Cobb
 * Gerald Davies
 * Ralph Henry Carless Davis
 * Bruce Grindlay
 * Craig Sellar Lang
 * Derrick Somerset Macnutt
 * William Wales (astronomer)
 * Henry Robinson D. D., a 19th-century master

Also associated with the school are:
 * John Flamsteed (Astronomer Royal), Governor
 * Samuel Pepys, Governor
 * Steve Gatting, football coach

title: Christ's Hospital


text:
Nikolai Kardashev

Nikolai Semyonovich Kardashev  (Никола́й Семёнович Кардашёв; 25 April 1932 – 3 August 2019 ) was a Soviet and Russian astrophysicist, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and the deputy director of the Astro Space Center of PN Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

Early life
He was born in Moscow to a family of professional revolutionaries involved with the Bolshevik Party. His parents were Semyon Karlovich Brike and Nina Nikolaevna Kardasheva; his father was an important member of the party, and his mother joined as well before the October Revolution in 1917. Both of his parents were arrested during the Great Purge of 1937 and 1938. His father was ultimately shot and his mother was assigned to labor camps and would not be released for many years. Due to his parents’ absence, he was sent to an orphanage from which he was then taken by his mother's sister after a great deal of effort. His aunt then died during World War II when he was 16 years old and he then had to live on his own in a large communal flat. His mother was released in 1956, by which time Nikolai had completed university.

Education
He attended Moscow State University (Russian abbreviation MGU) in the Astronomy division of the Mechanics and Mathematics Department. Here he concentrated his studies/interests in radio astronomy, a topic which was new and developing.

Career
He joined the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1967. He became deputy director of IKI in 1977. During the dissolution of the USSR, Nikolai became the director of the Astro Space Center of the Lebedev Physical Institute. In 1978, Nikolai started a space satellite project known as RadioAstron. The program endured for more than 30 years and a space satellite named Spektr-R was finally launched in 2011. The mission RadioAstron has become important for modern observational astrophysics.

In 1964 at a conference in Armenia he presented a paper titled "Передача информации внеземными цивилизациями" ("Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations"), proposing what would become known as the Kardashev scale, the idea of measuring a civilization's technological advancement based on the amount of energy it is able to use, with a civilization that can use all the energy of a planet defined as Type I (the other Types, II and III, were defined as civilizations that can use all the energy of a star and a galaxy, respectively). He also proposed Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), which replaced conventional radio transmission lines with magnetic tape recordings; it was demonstrated in 1967.

He may have predicted the existence of pulsars before they were actually discovered, in his paper ‘Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations'.

Organizations
He was an active participant of the International Astronomical Union, for which he was: Vice-President of Executive Committee (1997-2003), Vice-President of Commission 51 Bio-Astronomy (1982-1991), Organizing Committee Member of Commission 40 Radio Astronomy (1967-1985), Member of Division B Facilities, Technologies and Data Science (2019), Member of Division F Planetary Systems and Astrobiology (2019), Member of Commission 40 Radio Astronomy (2015), Member of Commission 51 Bio-Astronomy (2015), Member of Division III Planetary Systems Sciences (2012), Member of Division X Radio Astronomy (2012), and Member of Special Nominating Committee (2000-2003).

He was a member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Division of General Physics and Astronomy: first as a corresponding (associate) member (12 December 1976), then as a Full Member (21 March 1994), and served as director of the Russian Academy of Sciences Council on Astronomy from 1999 until his death.

He was a participant of the Committee on Space Research as Vice President from 1982-1986.

Awards and honors
In 1980 he shared the USSR's State Prize for the development and experiments with the orbital radio telescope KRT-10, and in 1988 he shared the USSR's State Prize for the discovery of Radio Recombination Lines. In 2012, Nikolai received the Grote Reber Gold Medal for innovative lifetime contributions to radio astronomy.

Movie career
His first association with the movie industry was in 1981. He was asked to be a consultant on the set of Petlya Oriona, a Russian television series documentary. He played himself in a TV show episode on the documentary series Space's Deepest Secrets in 2018 as well as playing himself in a TV show episode on the documentary series Horizon in 2018.

Death
Kardashev died on 3 August 2019 at the age of 87.

Publications

 * 1963 - "Candidate of Science" dissertation, later promoted to higher level of doctoral thesis.
 * 1964 - “Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations” which presented a classification of civilizations based on their degree of power consumption spanning 20 orders of magnitude, which became known as the Kardashev Scale.
 * 1964 - “Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations” which presented a classification of civilizations based on their degree of power consumption spanning 20 orders of magnitude, which became known as the Kardashev Scale.

title: Nikolai Kardashev


text:
USCGC Healy

USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) is the United States' largest and most technologically advanced icebreaker as well as the US Coast Guard's largest vessel. She is classified as a medium icebreaker by the Coast Guard. She is homeported in Seattle, Washington, and was commissioned in 1999. On 6 September 2001 Healy visited the North Pole for the first time. The second visit occurred on 12 September 2005. On 5 September 2015, Healy became the first unaccompanied United States surface vessel to reach the North Pole, and Healy's fourth Pole visit (and her second unaccompanied visit) happened on 30 September 2022.

Construction
Healy was built by Avondale Industries in New Orleans, Louisiana. The construction included a technology transfer agreement between Avondale Industries and the Finnish Kværner Masa-Yards Arctic Technology Centre, where the latter provided expertise for hull form development and propulsion line engineering based on the Finnish diesel-electric icebreaker Otso.

Healy is named in honor of United States Revenue Cutter Service Captain Michael A. Healy. Her keel was laid on 16 September 1996. Healy joined the icebreakers USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) and USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11) in their homeport of Seattle, on 10 November 1999. The ship departed New Orleans, on 26 January 2000, performing sea trials off of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and in Baffin Bay, between Canada and Greenland. She arrived in Seattle on 9 August 2000, after transiting the famed Northwest Passage and was placed "In Commission, Active" on 21 August 2000.

Design
Healy is an optimally manned vessel, meaning she has the minimum number of personnel staffed in order to safely navigate. Due to the vast array of missions conducted by Healy, it is vital that crew members are fully qualified on a number of duties. Healy operates two A-Frames, one on the aft working deck and one on the starboard side. There are two articulated cranes on the aft working deck, with the starboard side rated to 15 ST and the port side rated to 5 ST. The aft working deck provides ample space to conduct science and research operations. Healy has a forecastle crane with a load capacity of 3 ST, and two 04 level cranes with load capacities of 15 tons each. Healy has a Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) that uses her 2200-horsepower Omnithruster Bow Thruster system, which aids in navigation and station keeping during science operations. Her flight deck is capable of landing both of the Coast Guard's helicopter airframes, and attached is a hangar that can house 2 Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin helicopters. Healy can accommodate 8 ISO vans on the ship, which are used as science labs and workstations. Healy has three small boats on board. One is the 38 ft Arctic Survey Boat (ASB), which is on the starboard side. Healy has two 26 ft Cutter Boat Large (CBL) Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIB), one on each side.

Capabilities
Designed to conduct a wide range of research activities, Healy provides more than 4200 sqft of scientific laboratory space, numerous electronic sensor systems, oceanographic winches, and accommodations for up to 50 scientists. Healy is also designed to break 4.5 ft of ice continuously at 3 kn or ice 10 ft thick when backing and ramming, and can operate in temperatures as low as −50 F.

As a Coast Guard cutter, Healy is also a platform for supporting other potential missions in the polar regions, including: search and rescue, ship escort, environmental protection, and law enforcement.

Notable operations
29 October 2015: Healy received the Coast Guard Unit Commendation award for exceptionally meritorious service from 24 June to 29 October 2015, during their Arctic West Summer 2015 deployment. Healy traveled over 16000 nmi, took over 25,000 water and ice samples from 72 science stations, and became the first unaccompanied U.S. surface vessel to reach the North Pole. She also engaged with the crew of the German icebreaker RV Polarstern while at the North Pole, in support of the international scientific mission Geotraces. Finally, Healy became the first vessel to broadcast a live feed from ice-bound Arctic waters, streaming video of a search and rescue exercise to shore-based coordinators.

10 April 2012: Healy received the Coast Guard Unit Commendation award for exceptionally meritorious service from 3 January to 5 February 2012, after she escorted a tanker carrying a critical load of fuel through tremendously difficult winter ice conditions to Nome, Alaska. In November 2011, a strong winter storm struck western Alaska, which prevented a vital fuel delivery to Nome. Healy delayed her return home from a six-month Arctic deployment in order to escort the Russian-flagged tanker MT Renda to Nome. Healy escorted Renda through over 300 nmi of extremely difficult ice conditions and broke out the beset ship time after time. After many days of great exertion, Renda transferred the fuel to Nome, over the course of three days. On 20 January, Healy began the break out for herself and Renda. They emerged from the ice on 29 January 2012, after successful completion of the mission. This was the first-ever winter fuel delivery from the water in Western Alaska.

20 January 2010: Healy received the Coast Guard Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation award for meritorious service from 6 August to 16 September 2009, while conducting the Joint U.S.–Canada United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Extended Continental Shelf Mapping Expedition. In collaboration with CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, Healy pushed 150 nmi further north than planned and avoided $2.4 million in future expedition mapping costs. Healy also acquired over 1000 lb of valuable geological samples by conducting dredging operations at depths of up to 3 mi. The rare samples were essential in establishing the origin of the targeted extended continental shelf.

16 July 2008: Healy received the Coast Guard Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation award for meritorious service from April 2007 to July 2008, while conducting science operations in support of national scientific, economic, and political interests. Healy conducted a multi-year project in order to evaluate the entire ecosystem of the Bering Sea. Data collected during these missions helped improve the understanding of food webs and biological communities in the Arctic. Through superior mission execution in adverse weather, Healy exceeded expectations significantly.

12 September 2005: Healy reached the North Pole for a second time, accompanied by the Swedish icebreaker Oden (1988 icebreaker). This was Healy second visit to the North Pole, and the voyage was a part of the Arctic East-West Summer 2005 project which consisted of three cruises between 1 June and 28 November 2005.

7 May 2003: Healy received the Coast Guard Unit Commendation award for exceptionally meritorious service from January 2003 to April 2003, while conducting Operation Deep Freeze in support of the U.S. Antarctic Program. With less than three weeks' notice, Healy was deployed to Antarctica in support of the critical annual re-supply of McMurdo Station. Healy played an instrumental role in coordination with Polar Sea in resupplying the ice station. Healy successfully escorted the freighter MV American Tern and the tanker Richard G. Matthieson. Healy successfully escorted both ships in and out of the ice, and facilitated the delivery of resources to McMurdo Station.

23 January 2002: Healy received the Coast Guard Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation award for meritorious service from 12 June 2001 to 21 December 2001, during the Arctic East 2001 Science Mission. Healy mapped 1100 nmi of the Gakkel Ridge, previously the only unmapped undersea ridge in the world. Twelve previously unknown volcanoes and numerous undersea hydrothermal vents were discovered. 8 ST of rock samples were taken from over 100 deep sea dredges.

6 September 2001: As part of the above mentioned Arctic East Science Mission, Healy, on her three-phase maiden voyage, became only the second U.S. surface ship to reach the North Pole, accompanied by the German research icebreaker RV Polarstern. Healy returned to her homeport, Seattle, on 20 December 2001 after 192 days at sea, which were punctuated by two port calls in Tromso Norway to exchange science teams. The second phase of the voyage, in Arctic ice, included testing of an autonomous underwater vehicle (UAV).

Recent operations
2022: On 30 September 2022, the Healy and crew reached the North Pole for her 4th time and her 2nd time unaccompanied. The crew assisted a team of NSF-funded scientists as part of the international Synoptic Arctic Survey Program (SAS). The 2022 voyage was facilitated by "unexpectedly" thin ice, multiple leads in the sea ice, and favorable South winds.

2016: On 15 October 2016, Healy returned to her home port in Seattle, after a 127-day summer deployment in the Arctic Ocean. The crew of Healy, and her accompanying scientists, participated in three scientific studies. Highlights of this deployment include the discovery of new species of jellyfish in the Chukchi Sea, observations of the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea, and data collection on climate change.

2015: On 5 September, Healy became the first unaccompanied United States surface vessel to reach the North Pole. Healy travelled over 16,000 nautical miles during Arctic West Summer 2015 (AWS15). During this expedition, more than 25,000 water and ice samples from 72 science stations were collected through Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) casts and on-ice science stations. Healy worked with both the United States Coast Guard Research & Development Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to test and develop Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's), and became the first vessel to broadcast a live feed from Arctic waters. Healy also conducted a professional international engagement with the German Icebreaker Polarstern at the North Pole. It was a historic Arctic deployment that displayed the Coast Guard's unique polar capabilities to the public and the world. Between May and October 2015, Healy also tested the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) high frequency satellite communication system throughout her Arctic Summer West 2015 mission. Successful tests were completed throughout the expedition during the transit to the North Pole.

2014: A main area of focus during Arctic West Summer 2014 (AWS14) was the study of phytoplankton blooms along the Chukchi Sea. Healy also worked in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard Research and Development Center to test Aerostat balloons, UAV, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV), and oil tracking buoys. 2013: Arctic West Summer 2013 (AWS13) consisted of four different missions for Healy, over which more than 19000 nmi were covered. The first mission utilized Healy's unique over-the-side science capabilities in order to collect organisms and create an ecological picture of the Hanna Shoal region. The second mission yielded sediment samples from the Mackenzie River Basin through the use of coring devices. For the third mission the Coast Guard Research Development Center, in coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, deployed numerous equipment for testing and development. The fourth and final mission deployed subsurface moorings and conducted numerous CTD tests to study the Alaskan Boundary Current. A group of researchers from the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory tested their Submarine Team Behaviors Tool with Healy's crew in September 2013. They were part of the 50 person science team from the USCG Research and Development Center that evaluated technology for the recovery of "simulated oil trapped in or under ice at the polar ice edge". 2012: In January 2012, Healy escorted the Russian-flagged freighter Renda through pack ice to deliver an emergency supply of fuel to Nome, Alaska. Such a winter delivery had never been attempted before because the ice floes are 1 to 5 ft thick during the winter season. The resupply was vital to the city, and was the first-ever winter fuel delivery from the water in Western Alaska. Over the course of Arctic West Summer 2012 (AWS12), Healy travelled over 18000 nmi and conducted 687 science casts. Healy also added 25% more data to the bathymetric mapping project of the extended continental shelf through multibeam sonar bottom-mapping. This data was collected in support of the delineation of the American and Canadian continental shelves.

2011: During Arctic West Summer 2011 (AWS11), Healy collaborated with researchers from NASA to study the refractive properties of sunlight in the Arctic. Healy spent the summer mapping the Extended Continental Shelf in collaboration with CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent. A third mission of this patrol studied organic carbon and its levels in the Arctic water column. This data was used to explain bacteria distribution in the water column as well as carbon dioxide and biomass cycles.

2009: A marine biological mission aboard Healy studied the ecosystem of the Bering Sea, specifically the sea ice and its future affects on sea life population. The study included a number of biological focuses which recorded seabird and micro zooplankton populations, as well as assessing phytoplankton, sea ice algae, nitrogen, and sediment. Additionally Oceanographer Evelyn Lessard co-led a team to study krill populations to assess how climate change will affect the fisheries.

Dive mishap
On 17 August 2006, Lieutenant Jessica Hill and PO2 Stephen Duque, died of unspecified causes during diving operations in the Arctic Ocean. The Coast Guard conducted simultaneous safety and administrative investigations the results of which were made public in January 2007 along with a Final Decision Letter dated 23 August 2007.

Initial press reports indicated that the divers were conducting an inspection of the rudder - a routine operation - at the time of the accident, but later reports stated that the two were doing a cold-water training dive near the bow of the ship. The dive was reported to have been planned for a maximum depth of 20 ft. Lieutenant Hill's father, citing autopsy reports, has indicated that his daughter actually reached a depth of near 200 ft in what he described as an out of control descent. The divers were tended by unqualified and poorly-instructed personnel on the surface, none of whom were familiar with cold water diving or scuba diving in general. It is not clear why they extended so much line to the divers. By the time the two could be pulled to the surface, gas reserves were empty and neither diver could be revived.

On 30 August, Commanding Officer Captain Douglas G. Russell, was temporarily relieved of command by Vice Admiral Charles Wuster, citing a "loss of confidence" in Russell's ability to command. The relief was later made permanent by Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen.

Awards and honors
US Coast Guard E Ribbon for the period of 4 February 2012 to 19 November 2014, at Afloat Training Organization (ATO) Everett, Washington.

 * Presidential Unit Citation
 * Coast Guard Unit Commendation (3rd)
 * Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation (3rd)
 * Coast Guard E Ribbon
 * National Defense Service Medal
 * Antarctic Service Medal
 * Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal
 * Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon (7th)

In popular culture
A ship of a similar class (if not the same) as the Healy, the Borealis, briefly appears in the game Half-Life 2: Episode Two. This ship was originally planned to be a Polar-class icebreaker in the original storyline of Half-Life 2.

title: USCGC Healy


text:
Ruse, Bulgaria

Ruse (also transliterated as Rousse, Russe; Русе ) is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, approximately 67 km south of Bucharest, Romania's capital, 172 km from Varna, and 249 km from the capital Sofia. Thanks to its location and its railway and road bridge over the Danube (Danube Bridge), it is the most significant Bulgarian river port, serving an important part of the international trade of the country. It is the 12th largest of all cities on the Danube river.

Ruse is known for its 19th- and 20th-century Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo architecture, which attracts many tourists. It is often called the Little Vienna. The Ruse-Giurgiu Friendship Bridge, until 14 June 2013 the only one in the shared Bulgarian-Romanian section of the Danube, crosses the river here.

Ruse is the birthplace of the Nobel laureate in Literature Elias Canetti and the writer Michael Arlen.

Ruse is on the right bank of the river Danube, which is the high bank, having two underwater terraces and three river terraces at 15 to(-), 30 to(-), and 54 to(-). The average altitude is 45.5 m AMSL. The urban area is an approximately 11-km ellipse running along the river. The city extends from the land-connected Matey (Матей) island and the mouth of Rusenski Lom on the west to Srabcheto (Сръбчето) hill on the east. During the 20th century, the west end of the city was significantly modified by moving the mouth of Rusenski Lom to the west, as well as by moving the bank itself with its fairway considerably to the north. Sarabair (саръбаир, from Turkish Sarıbayır meaning "Yellow Slope") hill is to the south of the city and is 159 m high. The Rousse TV Tower is built there on the remains of Leventtabia, a former Turkish fortification.

Geography
Ruse is located in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, approximately 75 km (47 mi) south of Bucharest, Romania's capital, 200 km (124 mi) from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, and 300 km (186 mi) from the capital Sofia.

Etymology
Scholars suggest that the city on the river bank derived its present name from the Finnish root ruskea meaning "blonde", or *ru- ("river", "stream") or from the Cherven fortress, meaning "red," through the root rous, which is present in many Slavic languages.

A popular legend claims that the name Ruse comes from Finnish ruskea, or the name of a female founder of the city, whose name was Rusa, meaning "blonde hair". In the 13th and 14th centuries, during the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire, a fortified settlement called Rusi, first mentioned in 1380, emerged near the ruins of the earlier Roman town.

Other theories include settlement by people from the Rus era; a connection to the village of Rusokastro in Burgas Province; an unattested tribe of Getae with a name such as Riusi, or; the pagan festival of Rosalia.

Antiquity
The city emerged from a Neolithic settlement of the 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE, when pottery, fishing, agriculture, and hunting developed. Excavations have revealed several layers, suggesting that the place was attacked by neighbouring tribes and suffered from natural disasters. Ancient sanctuaries were found nearby, where idols of a pregnant woman, a fertility goddess, were prevalent.

The later Thracian settlement developed into a Roman military and naval centre during the reign of Vespasian (69–70 CE), as part of Limes Moesiae, the fortification system along the northern boundary of Moesia. Its name, Sexaginta Prista, suggests a meaning of "a city of 60 ships" (from sexaginta — "60" and pristis — a special type of guard ship), based on the supposed 60 nearby berths.

The fort was on the main road between Singidunum (modern Belgrade) and the Danube Delta and was destroyed in the 6th century by Avar and Slavic raids. Hungarian historian Felix Philipp Kanitz was the first to identify Sexaginta Prista with Ruse, but the Škorpil brothers demonstrated the link later through studying inscriptions, coins, graves, and objects of daily life. An inscription from the reign of Diocletian proves that the city was rebuilt as a praesidium (a large fortification) after it was destroyed by the Goths in 250 CE.

The settlement was mentioned as Golyamo Yorgovo in the Middle Ages, whose present successor is Giurgiu in Romania.

Ottoman rule

During Ottoman rule, the invaders destroyed the town, reacting to a 1595 unsuccessful liberation attempt by a joint Vlach-Bulgarian army, led by Michael the Brave. After its rebuilding in the following years, Ruse was dubbed Rusçuk (Turkish for "little Ruse") and had again expanded into a large fortress by the 18th century. It later grew into one of the most important Ottoman towns on the Danube and an administrative centre of Tuna Vilayet, which extended from Varna and Tulcea to Sofia and Niš.

The Dunav newspaper appeared — it was the first printed in Bulgaria and in Bulgarian. Some Bulgarian schools were founded. The streets are renamed and numbered for the first time in Bulgarian lands. A post office, hospital, home for the aged were founded. Three empires met here for trading: Austro-Hungary, Russia, British Empire. France and Italy opened consulates in Ruse. The modern city arose from the shades of the settlement. In 1865 the Obraztsov Chiflik was founded on the place where the English Consul's farm was; it was the first modern farm on the territory of the whole Ottoman Empire of that time.

Ruse developed into a centre of the Bulgarian National Revival and hosted the headquarters of the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee.

Early Modern Bulgaria

After it became part of modern Bulgaria on 20 February 1878, Ruse was one of the key cultural and economic centres of the country. Intensive building during the period changed the city's architectural appearance to a typical Central European one. Ruse is known for the many first innovations in Bulgaria, including:
 * 1864 – the first printing office in Bulgaria;
 * 1867 – the first railway line linking Ruse and Varna, was launched into operation;
 * 1879 – the first agronomical school "Obraztsov chiflik", today – Agricultural scientific research institute, currently profiled in agriculture and seed science;
 * 1881 – the first steel ship in Bulgaria was built;
 * 1881 – the first privately owned Bulgarian bank Girdap;
 * 1881 – the Machine School for the Navy, the first technical school in Bulgaria. Later it was moved to Varna;
 * 1883 – the first Weather station;
 * 1884 – the first Bulgarian pharmacy association;
 * 1885 – the first Bulgarian technical association was instituted;
 * 1890 – the first Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
 * 1891 – the first private insurance company "Bulgaria";
 * 1896 – the first manually operated elevator;
 * 1897 – the first movie projection. The second was a month later in the capital Sofia;

Ruse had the first Bulgarian factories for soda water, lemonade, and for neckties. The first aviator Simeon Petrov was born in Ruse.

In the newly liberated Bulgaria of the late 19th century, Ruse was a cosmopolitan city with a multiethnic population. According to the first census conducted in 1883, ethnic Bulgarians made up 43% of the population, Turks 39%, and Jews 7%.

"All façades on main streets of Russe shall have rich decorations with plastic stone", postulate the Regulations for Constructions of Private Buildings of 1893, issued by the Municipality of Russe.

After knyaz Alexander Battenberg's 1886 abdication, and as a reaction to the regentship's course led by prime minister Stefan Stambolov, a group of Russophile (pro-Russian) military officers revolted in Ruse. The riot was violently crushed, and 13 of the leaders were quickly sentenced to death and executed near the city, which caused much public discontent. Decades later, in 1934, local citizens raised funds and built a monument at the place where the Russophile officers were executed. The monument was blown up in 1940 but rebuilt in 1966 at approximately the same spot.

Early 20th century

 * 1908 – The first factory for iron beds in Modern Bulgaria. Today Ruse is a major centre of furniture manufacturing.
 * 1911 was marked off with the start of a project for an electrical station by "Siemens-Schukert". On 17 February 1917 Ruse became the third electrified city in the country (after Sofia and Varna).
 * In 1913 Belgian entrepreneurs and engineers were granted a concession for a period of 25 years and built the largest sugar factory in Bulgaria.
 * 1927 – the first sock-making factory in Bulgaria opened in Ruse. "Fazan" still exists today;
 * 1933 – the first oil refinery was constructed;

Between World War I and II, after Southern Dobruja was lost to Romania, the economic significance of the city decreased. So did the population: Ruse was no longer the second-largest city in Bulgaria (after former East Rumelian capital Plovdiv), being quickly surpassed by Sofia and Varna. Foreign consulates were closed, except for the Russian one, which remained functional until 2022. Only for the period between 1919 and 1920 the capital loss is estimated at around 40 million leva.

World War II period
The return of Southern Dobrudja to Bulgaria in September 1940 fostered good conditions for the restoration of the city's leading role. It became a provincial centre, and economic activity revived. Typical for the post-war architecture of the city was the wide use of iron, concrete and glass as construction materials. Examples are the River port – 1931, the Freight station – 1935, Market Hall – 1939 and the Court house – 1940.

Communist period
The construction of the Ruse-Giurgiu bridge in 1954 and the fast industrialization gave a new push to development. Ruse emerged again as an important economic, transport, cultural, and education hub. Engineering, chemical, and light industries expanded; a large harbor was built, and the city became a university centre. At the 1985 census, a population of more than 186,000 was reported.

In the early 1980s, Ruse entered a dark period. The Verachim factory was built in Giurgiu, which polluted the air between 1980 and 1991, impacting the city's development. The population decreased, and 15,000 people moved out between 1985 and 1992. The first informal organization in Bulgaria under the communist regime was established here - The Public Committee for Environmental Protection of Ruse, which provoked the first nationwide demonstrations and strongly influenced the change to democracy. In 1991, the Romanian factory ceased the pollution, after the fall of the communist regime in Romania.

Democratic Bulgaria

Like other post-socialist regimes in eastern Europe, Bulgaria found the transition to capitalism rather painful and not as easy as expected. State-owned enterprises lost their former markets and could not adapt to the now free-market competition. This led to massive unemployment in the city and emigration waves in the 90s. Since 2000, Ruse has been continually regaining its former leading status. The urban economics were positively influenced by the 2007's accession of Bulgaria and Romania in the European Union, which allowed deeper cross-border cooperation. The flow of investments through EU funds restarted long suspended projects which were finally completed.

After decades of construction, the new corpus of the University of Ruse was inaugurated in 2010.

In 2011 the city's centre was renovated through an EU project, worth 10 million leva. Included in the project, a Dry Deck Fountain was introduced in an urban environment for the first time in Bulgaria. The exterior of the Rousse State Opera was reconditioned.

A water treatment facility, an investment worth 57 million Euro, is now functional.

In 2012 the Rousse Regional Historical Museum completed a project, which allowed the rehabilitation and display of the remains of the Roman city Sexaginta Prista.

Ignat Kaneff, a Bulgarian-born Canadian business magnate, endowed about half of the amount necessary for the construction of a modern conference complex named after him, the Kaneff Centre, at the University of Ruse. It was officially opened on 10 October 2013.

A landmark event for the city was the opening of the new Eco Museum & Aquarium in 2014.

A safer and more efficient navigation in the inland waterways was accomplished with a new structure – the river information system BulRIS. A modern oncology centre is now operating.

Ruse was a candidate for a European Capital of Culture in 2019 with the concept "Free spirit city".

Dohodno zdanie, an imposing Neoclassical edifice in the city centre convincingly won the National competition "Emblematic building of the year" in 2014. Ruse was a host city of the first of its kind in Bulgaria – an International Ice Figures Festival.

The Arena Ruse sports hall with more than 5100 seats opened on 23 July 2015 nearly 40 years after initial construction efforts began. The project was suspended on numerous occasions due to a lack of financing. An underground parking inside the sports hall has also been completed.

On-going projects are the re-cultivation of the old landfill, worth 22,5 million leva. The biggest roundabout in the city with underpasses for pedestrians and cyclists, worth some 10 million leva was reconstructed.

Architectural landmarks
Ruse is one of the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria. The city is known for its preserved buildings from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. There are 272 monuments of culture. Most of the sights of the city are located at the center of Ruse (museums, architectural landmarks, the theater, the opera, hotels, restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops). Among the sights the following are outstanding:

Theatres and opera houses
Noted for its rich culture, Ruse hosts a philharmonic orchestra, the Rousse State Opera (founded in 1949) and the "Sava Ognianov" theater.

Libraries

 * The Regional Library "Lyuben Karavelov"
 * The Austrian Library, located in the 2nd floor of the theater and home of the International Elias Canetti Society.

Regular events

 * The March Music Days is an international music festival for classical music.
 * St George's Day (6 May) is Ruse's holiday. A local fair is organized for a week around this date.
 * Ruse Carnival is a masquerade held around 24 June, Enyovden.
 * The Sexaginta Prista Summer Stage is an urban festival. Events are hosted at the Roman castle every Friday from May through October.
 * At the end of October are BG MediaMarket and the Bulgarian Europe Media Festival.
 * The Skate-Festival "Collision Course" is taking place in May since 2007.
 * Since 2008 the Literary Spring Parlour is organized by the International Elias Canetti Society in April or May.

Religious buildings

 * Holy Trinity Cathedral
 * Church of All Saints
 * Church of the Holy Theotokos
 * Church of St George
 * Church of Holy Archangel Michael
 * Church of the Holy Ascension
 * Church of St Petka
 * Church of St Nicholas the Miracle Worker
 * Roman Catholic St Paul of the Cross Cathedral, built 1890
 * Armenian Surp Astvadzadzin Church
 * Evangelical Baptist church
 * Evangelical Methodist Church
 * Seid Pasha Mosque

In 1978, the "All Saints" Church was destroyed and the Pantheon of National Revival Heroes was built thereupon.

The Jewish community in Ruse built and consecrated a synagogue in 1797. It was destroyed in the 1810 fire, but two other synagogues were later built in 1826 and 1852.

Climate
Ruse has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) with hot summers and relatively cold winters. Owing to its position on the Danubian Plain, the city's winters can get windy.

Winter temperatures often dip below 0 °C, sometimes even to -20 °C. In summer, the average temperature is 25 °C. Temperatures frequently reach 35 to 40 C in mid-summer in the city centre and stay as low as 18 to 20 C during the nights. During spring and autumn, daytime temperatures vary between 17 and 22 C, and precipitation during this time tends to be higher than in summer, with more frequent yet milder periods of rain. The highest temperature recorded was 43.7 C and the lowest was −27.7 C.

Economic activity
The average number of employees under labour contract in 2016 is 68 603 people, while the average annual salary – 4 683 euro, 60% higher compared to the 2007's statistics. The employment rate for people from the age of 15 to 64 is 57.7%, whereas the unemployment is 12.5%.

The relative share of the population aged between 25 and 64 years with higher education is 23.6%, 3% higher than in 2007. The relative share of the population aged between 25 and 64 years with secondary education is 57.5%, 3.2% higher than in 2007. 147 300 is the number of nights spent by tourists in 2013. The total number of enterprises is 10 830.

Foreign direct investment in non-financial enterprises for 2013 is 197 million euro. The total economic output, manufactured in the city is assessed at about 1.84 billion euro, while the revenue increases with 916 000 euro compared to 2007 – to 3.1 million euro for 2013.

Economic profile

Ruse is a large industrial centre. It has a duty-free zone and 2 industrial zones: East and West. Ruse Iztok Power Plant has an energy producing capacity of 400 MW and the Ruse West Power Plant has 41 MW. There are a logistics park and a business park in the city. The city's economy is dominated by light industry — tailoring, textiles and food processing. Big manufactures are Fazan (the first factory for socks in Bulgaria), Fenix 94 (socks), Ariston S (women's fashion), Bordo (women's fashion), Danini (lady's fashion), Top Man (men's fashion), Karina (lady's fashion) and Sirma Prista (dairy products). The petroleum industry and the chemical industry are represented by companies, producing paints and motor oils – Orgachim, Prista Oil, Lubrica, Megachim, EKON 91, Ninachim and Polysan. The machinery industry and ships construction are well developed. Also, one of the world's leading companies in yacht design Vripack has an architecture and engineering studio in Ruse.

There are 65 hotels and 1,769 beds in Ruse. The income from accommodations for the fourth quarter of 2011 г. is 1,661,294 lv.

Transportation

Ruse is a major road and railway hub in Northern Bulgaria. Railway transportation in the city dates back to 1867 when it became a station of the first railway line in Bulgaria Ruse – Varna. There are railways to Southern Bulgaria, Sofia, Varna and Bucharest. Ruse has two railway stations for passenger services (Ruse Central and Ruse Razpredelitelna) and two for freight transport services. There are intercity buses that link Ruse with cities and towns all over the country, as well as in other European nations. They are based in two bus stations: South and East.

Ruse has an extensive public transport system with 25 bus and trolleybus lines, including the Ruse trolleybus system. Since the sale of all shares of the private Israeli transport holding Egged Ruse to the local municipality in 2017, trolleybus lines have been operated by the city's own public transport entity. Since July 2024, urban bus lines are also operated by the municipal public transport entity. Suburban bus lines remain under concession to various private Bulgarian transport companies. A 14 kilometer bicycle network along the main boulevards of the city has been developed and is currently in the process of expansion.

Approximately 17 km southeast of Ruse is the village of Shtraklevo, near which is the former military and passenger Ruse Airport. It is owned by the municipality of Ruse, with an active license for small passenger and cargo flights (license issued on 21.12.2016). The runway is long enough for Boeing 747s (Jumbo Jets). The Henri Coandă International Airport in Otopeni, Romania is 80 km north of Ruse.

The Danube bridge is located east of Ruse. It was the only road and rail bridge between Bulgaria and Romania until the opening of a second bridge crossing to Romania on 14 June 2013 at Vidin.

Ruse is the biggest Bulgarian port on the banks of the Danube River. After the opening of the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal which covers 3500 km and connects 13 European countries with Asia via the Black Sea, the river becomes the longest inland waterway on the planet. This key position has determined the 19th century-long co-existence of different cultures and religions in Ruse.

Education
There is one university in Ruse – "Angel Kanchev" University of Ruse with a capacity of 15 000 students. The university's structure includes a subsidiaries in Silistra, Vidin and Razgrad. There is also a subsidiary of the College of Agriculture – Plovdiv in the city.

The city hosts 26 high schools, among which is the English Language School "Geo Milev".

Demographics
Ruse is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria by population. It was the most populated city of Bulgaria in 1880 with 26,163 people. The number of the residents of the city(not the municipality) reached its peak around 1990, numbering almost 200,000. According to the 2011 census, Ruse was inhabited by 149,642 people within the city limits, while the Ruse Municipality along with the legally affiliated adjacent villages had 167,585 inhabitants.

Ethnic, linguistic and religious composition
According to the latest 2011 census data, the individuals declared their ethnic identity were distributed as follows:
 * Bulgarians: 123 469 (90.4%)
 * Turks: 10 128 (7.5%)
 * Romani: 1,297 (0.9%)
 * Others: 1,132 (0.8%)
 * Indefinable: 618 (0.5%)
 * Undeclared: 12,998 (8.7%)

According to the first census in 1883, the ethnic composition was as follows: Total: 26,156
 * Bulgarians: 11,342
 * Turks: 10,252
 * Jews: 1,943
 * Armenians: 841
 * Germans: 476
 * Greeks: 291
 * Vlachs (Romanians): 231
 * Russians: 170
 * Serbs and Croats: 113
 * 79 Romani, 76 Hungarians, 74 Tatars, 58 Italians, 58 French people, 32 English people, 19 Persians, 16 Poles, 16 Czechs, and 69 others.

Consulates

 * 🇲🇳 Mongolia – Honorary Consulate
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine – Honorary Consulate

Twin towns and sister cities
Ruse is twinned with:

 * 🇧🇦 Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇷🇴 Giurgiu, Romania
 * 🇨🇳 Huainan, China
 * 🇬🇷 Peristeri, Greece
 * 🇫🇷 Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, France
 * Trogir, Croatia
 * 🇭🇺 Újbuda (Budapest), Hungary
 * 🇷🇺 Volgograd, Russia

Honours
Ruse Peak (800 m) on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after the city.

title: Ruse, Bulgaria