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Qaboos bin Said

Qaboos bin Said Al Said (قابوس بن سعيد آل سعيد, ; 18 November 1940 – 10 January 2020) was Sultan of Oman from 23 July 1970 until his death in 2020. A fifteenth-generation descendant of the founder of the House of Al Said, he was the longest-serving leader in the Middle East and Arab world at the time of his death, having ruled for almost half a century.

The only son of Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman, Qaboos was educated in Suffolk, England. After graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he served briefly in the British Army. He returned to Oman in 1966 and was the subject of considerable restrictions from his father. In 1970, Qaboos ascended to the Omani throne after overthrowing his father in a coup d'état, with British support. The country was subsequently renamed the Sultanate of Oman.

As sultan, Qaboos implemented a policy of modernization and ended Oman's international isolation. His reign saw a rise in living standards and development in the country, the abolition of slavery, the end of the Dhofar Rebellion, and the promulgation of Oman's constitution. Suffering from poor health in later life, Qaboos died in 2020. He had no children, so he entailed the royal court to reach consensus on a successor upon his death. As a precaution, he hid a letter which named his successor in case an agreement was not achieved. After his death the royal court decided to view Qaboos's letter and named his intended successor, his cousin Haitham bin Tariq, as sultan.

Early life and education
Sayyid Qaboos bin Said was born in the southern city of Salalah in Dhofar on 18 November 1940 as the only son of Sultan Said bin Taimur Al Said and Mazoon bint Ahmad Al Mashani. He received his primary and secondary education at Salalah, and was sent to a private educational establishment at Bury St Edmunds in England at age 16. At 20, he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. After graduating from Sandhurst in September 1962, he joined the British Army and was posted to the 1st Battalion The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), serving with them in Germany for one year. He also held a staff appointment with the British Army.

After his military service, Qaboos studied local government subjects in England and then completed his education with a world tour chaperoned by Leslie Chauncy. Upon his return in 1966, he was placed under virtual house arrest in Al Hosn Palace in Salalah by his father. Here he was kept isolated from government affairs, except for occasional briefings by his father's personal advisers. Qaboos studied Islam and the history of his country. His personal relationships were limited to a handpicked group of palace officials who were sons of his father's advisors and a few expatriate friends such as Tim Landon. Sultan Said said that he would not allow his son to be involved with the developing planning process, and Qaboos began to make known his desire for change—which was quietly supported by his expatriate visitors.

Rise to power
Qaboos acceded to the throne on 23 July 1970 following a successful coup against his father, with the aim of ending the country's isolation and using its oil revenue for modernization and development. He declared that the country would no longer be known as Muscat and Oman, but would change its name to "the Sultanate of Oman" in order to better reflect its political unity.

The coup was supported by the British, with Ian Cobain writing that it was "planned in London by MI6 and by civil servants at the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office" and sanctioned by the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson.

The first pressing problem that Qaboos bin Said faced as sultan was an armed communist insurgency from South Yemen, the Dhofar Rebellion (1962–1976). The sultanate eventually defeated the incursion with help from the Shah of Iran, Jordanian troops sent by his friend King Hussein of Jordan, British Special Forces and the Royal Air Force.

Reign as Sultan
There were few rudiments of a modern state when Qaboos took power. Oman was a poorly developed country, severely lacking in infrastructure, healthcare, and education, with only 10 km of paved roads and a population dependent on subsistence farming and fishing. Qaboos modernized the country using oil revenues. Schools and hospitals were built, and a modern infrastructure was laid down, with hundreds of kilometres of new roads paved, a telecommunications network established, projects for a port and airport that had begun prior to his reign were completed and a second port was built, and electrification was achieved. The government also began to search for new water resources and built a desalination plant, and the government encouraged the growth of private enterprise, especially in development projects. Banks, hotels, insurance companies, and print media began to appear as the country developed economically. The Omani riyal was established as the national currency, replacing the Indian rupee and Maria Theresa thaler. Later, additional ports were built, and universities were opened. In his first year in power, Qaboos also abolished slavery in Oman.

The political system which Qaboos established was an absolute monarchy. The Sultan's birthday, 18 November, is celebrated as Oman's national holiday. The first day of his reign, 23 July, is celebrated as Renaissance Day.

Oman has no system of checks and balances, and thus no separation of powers. All power was concentrated in the Sultan during his reign, and he served as chief of staff of the armed forces, minister of defence, minister of foreign affairs and chairman of the board of the Central Bank of Oman. All legislation since 1970 has been promulgated through royal decrees, including the 1996 Basic Law. The sultan appoints judges, and can grant pardons and commute sentences. The sultan's authority is inviolable.

Qaboos' closest advisors were reportedly security and intelligence professionals within the Palace Office, headed by General Sultan bin Mohammed al Numani.

2011 Omani protests
The 2011 Omani protests were a series of protests in the Persian Gulf country of Oman that occurred as part of the revolutionary wave popularly known as the "Arab Spring". The protesters demanded salary increases, lower living costs, the creation of more jobs and a reduction in corruption. Protests in Sohar, Oman's fifth-largest city, centered on the Globe Roundabout. The Sultan's responses included the dismissal of a third of the governing cabinet.

According to CBS News, 19 June 2011, "Several protest leaders have been detained and released in rolling waves of arrests during the Arab Spring, and dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in the country is high. While disgruntlement amongst the populace is obvious, the extreme dearth of foreign press coverage and lack of general press freedom there leaves it unclear as to whether the protesters want the sultan to leave, or simply want their government to function better. Beyond the recent protests, there is concern about succession in the country, as there is no heir apparent or any clear legislation on who may be the next Sultan." The Sultan did give token concession to protesters yet detained social media activists. In August 2014, The Omani writer and human rights defender Mohammed Alfazari, the founder and editor-in-chief of the e-magazine Mowatin "Citizen", disappeared after going to the police station in the Al-Qurum district of Muscat, only to be pardoned some time later.

Foreign policy
Under Qaboos, Oman fostered closer ties with Iran than other Arab states of the Persian Gulf, and was careful to appear neutral and maintain a balance between the West and Iran. As a result, Oman often acted as an intermediary between the United States and Iran. Qaboos helped mediate secret US-Iran talks in 2013 that led two years later to the international nuclear pact, from which the United States withdrew in 2018.

In 2011, Qaboos facilitated the release of American hikers who were held by Iran, paying $1 million for their freedom.

Oman did not join the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen against the Houthis in 2015, and did not take sides in a Persian Gulf dispute that saw Saudi Arabia and its allies impose an embargo on Qatar in 2017.

In October 2018, Qaboos invited Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Oman, despite his country not having official diplomatic ties with Israel. Netanyahu was the first Israeli prime minister to visit Oman since Shimon Peres in 1996.

Philanthropy
Qaboos financed the construction or maintenance of a number of mosques, notably the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, as well as the holy places of other religions.

Through a donation to UNESCO in the early 1990s, Qaboos funded the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation, to afford recognition to outstanding contributions in the management or preservation of the environment. The prize has been awarded biannually since 1991.

Personal life
Qaboos was a Muslim of the Ibadi denomination, which has traditionally ruled Oman. Although Oman is predominantly Muslim, the Sultan granted freedom of religion in the country and financed the construction of four Catholic and Protestant churches in the country as well as several Hindu temples.

The Sultan was an avid fan and promoter of classical music. His 120-member orchestra consists entirely of young Omanis who, since 1986, audition as children and grow up as members of the symphonic ensemble. They play locally and traveled abroad with the Sultan. Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin was commissioned to compose a work entitled Symphonic Impressions of Oman. Qaboos was particularly enthusiastic about the pipe organ. The Royal Opera House Muscat features the second largest mobile pipe organ in the world, which has three specially made organ stops, named the "Royal Solo" in his honour. He was also a patron of local folk musician Salim Rashid Suri, whom he made a cultural consultant.

On 22 March 1976, Qaboos married his first cousin Sayyida Nawwal bint Tariq Al Said (born 1951), the daughter of his uncle Sayyid Tariq bin Taimur and Sayyida Shawana bint Nasir Al Busaidiyah. Nawwal was renamed Kamila at the time of her marriage and is the half-sister of Qaboos' successor, Haitham bin Tariq. The marriage ended in divorce in 1979 and produced no children.

In September 1995, Qaboos was involved in a car accident in Salalah just outside his palace, which killed one of his most prominent and influential ministers, the deputy prime minister for finance and economy, Qais Bin Abdul Munim Al Zawawi.

Qaboos owned several yachts administered by the Oman Royal Yacht Squadron, including Al Said and Fulk Al Salamah, two of the world's largest yachts.

Qaboos was widely believed by Omanis and Gulf Arabs to be homosexual. This belief was supported by Tony Molesworth, Oman's former second-most-senior intelligence officer. Qaboos' obituary in The Times described rumours throughout his life of "liaisons with elegant young European men".

Illness and death
From 2014, Qaboos suffered from colon cancer, for which he received treatment. On 14 December 2019, he was reported to be terminally ill with a short time to live after his stay for medical treatment in UZ Leuven in Belgium and returned home because he wanted to die in his own country. He died on 10 January 2020 at the age of 79 at his personal residence, Al Baraka Palace, just outside Muscat. The following day, the government declared three days of national mourning and said the country's flag would be flown at half-staff for a period of 40 days and declared the halt of official work in the public and private sectors for three days. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Egypt all declared three days of mourning; India and Bangladesh  declared one day of mourning. The United Kingdom lowered flags to half-mast as a sign of respect.

Succession
Unlike the heads of other Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Qaboos did not publicly name an heir. Article 6 of the constitution says the Royal Family Council has three days to choose a new sultan from the date the position falls vacant. If the Royal Family Council fails to agree, a letter containing a name penned by Sultan Qaboos should be opened in the presence of the Defence Council of military and security officials, supreme court chiefs, and heads of the upper and lower houses of the consultative assemblies. Analysts saw the rules as an elaborate means of Qaboos securing his choice for successor without causing controversy by making it public during his lifetime, since it was considered unlikely that the royal family would be able to agree on a successor on its own.

Qaboos had no children, and only one sister, Sayyida Umaima (who predeceased him in 2002), but no male siblings; there are other male members of the Omani royal family including paternal uncles and their families. Using same-generation primogeniture, the successor to Qaboos would appear to be the children of his late uncle Sayyid Tariq bin Taimur, Oman's first prime minister and the Sultan's former father-in-law. Oman watchers believed the top contenders to succeed Qaboos were three of Tariq's sons: Asa'ad bin Tariq, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation and the Sultan's special representative; Shihab bin Tariq, a retired commander of the Royal Navy of Oman; and Haitham bin Tariq, Minister of Heritage and National Culture.

On 11 January 2020, Oman state TV said the Royal Family Council, in a letter to the Defense Council, had decided to defer to the choice that Qaboos named in his will, and thus had opened the letter by Qaboos naming his successor, announcing shortly that Haitham bin Tariq is the country's ruling sultan. Haitham has two sons and two daughters.

National honours

 * 🇴🇲 Oman:
 * The Order of Al Said.gif Grand Master of the Order of Al-Said
 * Military order Oman GC GO ribbon.svg Grand Master of the Order of Oman
 * Grand Order of the Renaissance of Oman (1982).png Grand Master of the Order of the Renaissance of Oman
 * The Order of Merit of Sultan Qaboos.gif Grand Master of the Order of Merit of Sultan Qaboos
 * The Order of N´Oman.gif Grand Master of the Order of N'Oman
 * Order of Merit (Oman).gif Grand Master of the Order of Merit
 * Order of Sultan Qaboos Grand Cross.gif Grand Master of the Order of Sultan Qaboos
 * The Sultan Qaboos Order for Culture, Science and Art.gif Grand Master of the Sultan Qaboos Order for Culture, Science and Art
 * The Order of Appreciation (Oman).gif Grand Master of the Order of Appreciation
 * The Order of Achievement (Oman).gif Grand Master of the Order of Achievement

Foreign honours

 * 🇦🇹 Austria:
 * AUT Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria - 1st Class BAR.svg Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (31 March 2001)
 * 🇧🇭 Bahrain:
 * Wisam al-Khalifa 1st class.gif Member 1st Class of the Order of Al Khalifa
 * Brunei:
 * BRU Royal Family Order of the Crown of Brunei.svg Member of the Royal Family Order of the Crown of Brunei (15 December 1984)
 * 🇪🇬 Egypt:
 * EGY Order of the Nile - Grand Cordon BAR.svg Grand Collar of the Order of the Nile (1976)
 * 🇫🇷 France:
 * Legion Honneur GC ribbon.svg Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (31 May 1989)
 * 🇩🇪 Germany:
 * GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 9 Sond des Grosskreuzes.svg Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
 * 🇮🇳 India:
 * Decoration without ribbon - en.svg Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding (2004 – award yet to be presented)
 * Gandhi Peace Prize (03/2021), Delhi
 * 🇮🇩 Indonesia:
 * Bintang Republik Indonesia Adipurna rib.svg Recipient of the Star of the Republic of Indonesia, 1st Class or Adipurna
 * 🇮🇷 Iran:
 * Order of Pahlavi (Iran).gif Grand Collar of the Order of Pahlavi (3 March 1974)
 * 25th_Centennial_Anniversary_Medal_Ribbon_Bar_-_Imperial_Iran.svg Recipient of the Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire (14 October 1971)
 * 🇮🇹 Italy:
 * Cordone di gran Croce di Gran Cordone OMRI BAR.svg Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (22 April 1974)
 * 🇯🇵 Japan:
 * JPN Daikun'i kikkasho BAR.svg Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum
 * 🇯🇴 Jordan:
 * JOR Al-Hussein ibn Ali Order BAR.svg Collar of the Order of al-Hussein bin Ali
 * 🇰🇼 Kuwait:
 * Order of Mubarak the Great (Kuwait) - ribbon bar.gif Collar of the Order of Mubarak the Great (28 December 2009)
 * 🇱🇧 Lebanon:
 * Lebanese Order of Merit Extraordinary Grade.gif Extraordinary Grade of the Order of Merit
 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia:
 * MY Darjah Utama Seri Mahkota Negara (Crown of the Realm) - DMN.svg Honorary Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm (DMN) (1991)
 * 🇲🇦 Morocco:
 * Ordre de l'Ouissam Alaouite GC ribbon (Maroc).svg Grand Cross of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite
 * MAR Order of the Throne - Special Class BAR.png Collar of the Order of the Throne
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands:
 * Order of the Netherlands Lion ribbon - Knight Grand Cross.svg Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (2012)
 * 🇵🇰 Pakistan:
 * Ord.Nishan-i-Pakistan.ribbon.gif Recipient of the Nishan-e-Pakistan, 1st Class
 * 🇶🇦 Qatar:
 * Order of Independence (Qatar) - ribbon bar.gif Collar of the Order of the Independence
 * 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia:
 * SA Order of King Abdulaziz 1kl rib.png Collar of the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud (23 December 2006)
 * SA Order of King Abdulaziz 1kl rib.png Decoration 1st Class of the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud (23 December 2006)
 * Decoration without ribbon - en.svg Recipient of the Badr Chain
 * 🇸🇬 Singapore:
 * Darjah Utama Temasek ribbon (from 1996).svg Member 1st Class of the Order of Temasek (12 March 2009)
 * 🇿🇦 South Africa:
 * Ord.GoodHope-ribbon.gif Grand Cross of the Order of Good Hope (1999)
 * 🇪🇸 Spain:
 * Order of Isabella the Catholic - Sash of Collar.svg Knight of the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (13 December 1985)
 * Order of Civil Merit (Spain) GC.svg Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit
 * Syria:
 * Order Of Ummayad (Syria) - ribbon bar.gif Collar of the Order of Umayyad
 * 🇹🇳 Tunisia:
 * Order of the Republic (Tunisia) - ribbon bar.gif Grand Cordon of the Order of the Republic
 * Order of Independence v. 1959 (Tunisia) - ribbon bar.gif Collar of the Order of Independence
 * 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates:
 * Order of Union Sash.gif Collar of the Order of the Federation
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom:
 * Order of the Bath (ribbon).svg Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) (18 March 1982)
 * UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon.svg Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) (8 July 1976)
 * Royal Victorian Chain Ribbon.gif Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain (27 November 2010)
 * UK Royal Victorian Order honorary member ribbon.svg Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) (28 February 1979)
 * Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg Associate Bailiff Grand Cross of the Most Venerable Order of Saint John (GCStJ) (19 March 1984)
 * Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg Associate Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ) (8 November 1976)

Legacy
In June 2022, his Service Medal of the Order of St John was ceremonially consecrated in London.

title: Qaboos bin Said


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Subvariety

A subvariety (Latin: subvarietas) in botanical nomenclature is a taxonomic rank. They are rarely used to classify organisms.

Plant taxonomy
Subvariety is ranked:
 * below that of variety (varietas)
 * above that of form (forma).

Subvariety is an infraspecific taxon.

Name
Its name consists of three parts:
 * 1) a genus name (genera)
 * 2) a specific epithet (species)
 * 3) an infraspecific epithet (subvariety)

To indicate the subvariety rank, the abbreviation "subvar." is put before the infraspecific epithet.

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

title: Subvariety


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Thomas Remengesau Jr.

Thomas Esang "Tommy" Remengesau Jr. (born 28 February 1956 ) is a Palauan politician; in 2013 he was elected the ninth president of Palau and was re-elected to that office in 2016. Previously he served as the seventh president of the island nation from 2001 to 2009. He served as a Senator in the Palau National Congress between his two administrations. In sum, Remengesau was elected Vice-President of Palau in 1992 and 1996, then president in 2000, 2004, 2012 and 2016.

Intending to make Palau less dependent upon United States aid, Remengesau has promoted the expansion and growth of tourism in Palau with the slogan "Preserve the Best and Improve the Rest". The "best" refers to Palau's especially bountiful and diverse marine water resources surrounding the islands, and, as a venue of underwater attractions, its reputation among the very top in the world. In foreign affairs, Remengesau has actively advanced Palau's presence in the United Nations, elevating Palau to leadership among the international community through such environmental initiatives as the Micronesian Challenge. He is also a leader among South Pacific nations in advocating awareness of global warming and its effects in the South Pacific Region.

Early life
Remengesau was born in Koror, Palau. His father was Thomas Remengesau Sr., who was District Administrator of Palau during the Trust Territory era, as well as Minister of Justice, Vice President, and briefly President of Palau. His mother, Ferista Esang Remengesau, also served as First Lady of Palau. Remengesau was educated at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, in the United States, graduating from there in 1979.

First service as senator, vice presidency, and first presidency
At 28 years old, Remengesau targeted the youth voting bloc of Palau and successfully lobbied for their support, in the process becoming known as one of the forefront advocates for the youth of Palau. Remengesau was then elected in 1984 to the Palau National Congress (Olbiil Era Kelulau), carried by the youth and a grassroots campaign to become the youngest senator in the nation's history at the age of 28. In 1992, he was elected Vice-President of Palau and served two terms. He held the additional portfolio of Minister of Administration of Palau. In 2000, with the support of outgoing President Kuniwo Nakamura, he won the presidential election, defeating ex-senator Peter Sugiyama by a margin of 52% to 46%. He easily won re-election in 2004, defeating Polycarp Basilius by a margin of 66.5% to 33.5%, in a race dogged with rumors of improper financial influence from Taipei and Beijing.

As Senator again
Remengesau announced in 2008 that he would seek a senatorial seat in the Senate of Palau in the 2008 general election. He came in 11th in the election.

Remengesau was succeeded by President Johnson Toribiong on January 15, 2009.

In April 2009, Special Prosecutor Michael Copeland, who served as Assistant Attorney General of Palau, launched an investigation along with a Special Task Force, stating that "office received information that gave probable cause to believe evidence of criminal activity is contained on the hard drives of seized computers." Senator Remengesau decried the whole process as an act of "selective prosecution". After much speculation and media tabloid surrounding the investigation, Remengesau was found only to have been guilty of not filing properties of land and their values and accrued interest. Remengesau was charged with 19 counts of violating Palau's code of ethics for failing to disclose his interests in real properties and other assets in 2002 and 2003. The charges bear on the lack of filing of the transfers and the values of said properties. Remengesau has said that, "I am being charged for basically technical information related to the filing of personal assets under the Code of Ethics law." “It was incomplete but it’s not like that we did not file anything. When we filed in years 2000-2002, we believed that what we were filing was in compliance with the law,” Remengesau said.

When asked about the verdict, he replied: “It is interesting because in our inquiries, roughly 90 percent filed the same way I did. And it is also an eye opener. I learned a lot from this trial and I hope other officials will also learn something from this because they will now change the way they disclose their assets.” He added, “From now on, everyone who acquired land through tradition will also disclose it in their financial disclosure.” In April 2010, Associate Justice Kathleen Salii imposed a fine of US$156,400 on Remengesau. Although prosecutor Michael Copeland recommended a fine of US$1,357,500, Copeland would go on to express his satisfaction with the sentence in media interviews.

Second presidency
He took office as President again in 2013, after defeating his successor Johnson Toribiong in the November 2012 Palauan election. Due to his work regarding Palau's environment, Remengesau received the Pacific Champion Award in 2013, as well as the United Nations' Champion of the Earth title, the Inspiring Conservation Award, and the IGFA Conservation Award, all in 2014. In 2016, he received the Peter Benchley Ocean Award for Excellence in National Stewardship. He appeared in the 2016 documentary film Before the Flood to discuss the vulnerability of Palau to sea level rise.

He was challenged in his bid for a fourth term in the November 2016 election by his brother-in-law, Senator Surangel Whipps Jr. He received 5109 votes compared to Whipps' 4854. He succeeded his father as the Maderngebuked of Ngaraard.

Personal life
He is married to Debbie Remengesau.

Honors

 * Order of Brilliant Jade with Grand Cordon (Republic of China - 2007)

title: Thomas Remengesau Jr.


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Hocico

Hocico is a Mexican electro-industrial duo that was formed in 1993 in Mexico City.

History
Hocico was officially formed in 1993 by cousins Eric Garcia (aka Erk Aicrag) and Oscar Mayorga (aka Racso Agroyam), with Eric writing lyrics and performing the vocals and Oscar responsible for the programming. They had experimented with electronic music since they were teenagers and were influenced by industrial artists such as Skinny Puppy. Their interest in the industrial and EBM genres led them to begin their musical career in 1989 in a group called Niñera Degenerada. In 1992 the two cousins left the band and went on to form Hocico de Perro.

Soon after they dropped the "de Perro" and continued simply as Hocico. The Spanish word "hocico" translates to 'snout' or 'muzzle' in English, and is used in Mexico as a disrespectful way to describe someone's comments coming out of their mouth. In certain contexts, "callate el hocico" could be interpreted as, essentially, "shut your fucking mouth," which the band thought described their musical attitude well.

Between 1993 and 1996 the band produced several cassette demos - Misuse, Abuse And Accident, Autoagresión Persistente, and Triste Desprecio. In 1997 the band released their first full CD, Odio Bajo El Alma, on the label Opción Sónica with European distribution through Out Of Line.

The release of Odio Bajo El Alma was well received in Europe and America but caught the Anglo- and Euro-centric scene by surprise, with many unaware that the band's style of electronic music was happening in Mexico. In fact, before 1997, Hocico along with many other Mexico City based electronic bands had been part of a collective called La Corporación that attempted to support and promote their type of music across Mexico. Other bands involved in La Corporación included Cenobita, Ogo, Encefálisis, and Deus Ex Machina.

The end of the 1990s saw two more albums released on Out Of Line: the live album Los Hijos Del Infierno, recorded during the band's 1998 European tour, and Sangre Hirviente. In 1999, the band played at the Zillo festival in Germany and the Euro Rock festival in Belgium. The band returned to Europe in 2000 to play the Elegi Festival in Paris and the Woodstage Festival in Germany, the latter having an attendance of more than 20,000 people. In 2001, Hocico opened for German band Rammstein during their Mexican tour.

In 2002, the band released the album Signos De Aberracion (translated: Signs of Aberration), the subject matter of which treated on disturbing events within their social environment at the time.

After the release of their 2004 album, Wrack And Ruin, the band went on a short hiatus. During this interlude, the band took time to finish their first DVD, A Través De Mundos Que Arden, and to help produce other Mexican bands, while Eric also focused on his solo project, Rabia Sorda. Eric also relocated during this time to Leipzig, Germany while Oscar remained primarily in Mexico City.

In 2008, Hocico returned with the album Memorias Atrás, with the theme of "leaving memories behind." The album was released in three versions, one of which was a box set with 3D cover artwork.

Since 2008 the band has released an album roughly every two years, interspersed with various live albums, compilations, and singles. 2017's release, The Spell of the Spider, reached #42 on the German national charts. 2019's Artificial Extinction deals with the concept of artificial intelligence as a threat to humanity and features artwork by German artist Jochen Schilling. Artificial Extinction reached #30 on the German national charts.

Style and influences
Hocico's songs are performed in both Spanish and English. The band prefers to use English in order to reach a greater audience, but also wrote songs in Spanish to connect specifically with their home audience.

The band is known for producing an aggressive style of electronic music, which they attribute to their experiences growing up and living in Mexico City. In a 2003 interview, the band stated: "We deal with a lot of violence. Sometimes you walk in Mexico City you see a lot of it. It’s about where we live and things that happen to us. We’d explode without the music."

Stylistically, the band's music is centered in the electro-industrial and EBM genres and, in particular, the "aggrotech" sub-genre. In later years the band have also produced tracks in an aggressive, industrial style of drum and bass.

Hocico has toured extensively over their career with their live shows projecting the same sort of aggressive energy of their musical style, sometimes to the point of physical injury. Their two-person stage presence has taken more of a visual presence over the years including, at times, the addition of performers such as mariachi musicians and Aztec-themed dancers.

The band's musical influences include electronic and industrial bands such as Skinny Puppy, Leæther Strip, Pouppée Fabrikk, Ministry, Cat Rapes Dog, and Depeche Mode as well as punk bands like Suicidal Tendencies and Dead Kennedys. The band also has an affinity for heavy metal and, although typically billed live with other industrial/EBM acts or similarly curated events, they have played at metal music festivals such as Force Metal Fest 2015 in Guadalajara along with Judas Priest and Overkill.

Side projects and collaborations
Aicrag has a side project called Rabia Sorda while Agroyam has one called Dulce Liquido.

In 2002, Aicrag contributed vocals to the Tristesse de la Lune track, Eiskalte Liebe.

In 2016, Aicrag contributed music and vocals to the Ost+Front album Ultra and their "Fiesta De Sexo" Maxi.

In April 2020, Blutengel and Hocico jointly created a track named "Obscured" and released it as a maxi single in preparation for their European "Living the Darkness" tour.

Demos

 * Misuse, Abuse and Accident (1993)
 * Autoagresión Persistente (1994)
 * Triste Desprecio (1996)

Albums

 * Odio Bajo El Alma (1997)
 * Sangre Hirviente (1999) – #19 CMJ RPM Charts (U.S.)
 * Signos de Aberración (2002)
 * Hate Never Dies: The Celebration 4CD (2003) Limited to 2500 copies Featuring the band’s Demos
 * Wrack and Ruin (2004)
 * Memorias Atrás (2008)
 * Tiempos de Furia (2010)
 * El Ultimo Minuto (2012)
 * Los dias caminando en el fuego (2013)
 * Ofensor (2015)
 * The Spell of the Spider (2017)
 * Artificial Extinction (2019)
 * Hyperviolent (2022)

EPs

 * El Día De La Ira (1998)
 * Cursed Land (1998)
 * Aquí Y Ahora En El Silencio (2000) – #16 DAC Top 100 Singles of 2000, Germany
 * El Día De La Ira Re-released (2002)
 * Silent Wrath (2002) Available in Signos de Aberración Limited Edition
 * Disidencia Inquebrantable (2003)
 * Maldiciones Para Un Mundo En Decadencia (2004) Available in Wrack And Ruin Limited Edition
 * Scars (2006) Available in A Traves De Mundos Que Arden DVD Limited Edition
 * About A Dead (2007)
 * The Day the World Stopped (2008) Available in Memorias Atrás Digipack Edition

Singles

 * Untold Blasphemies (2001)
 * Born to be Hated (2004)
 * Not Like You (Apestas! Version)(2006) Promo Single – #3 DAC Singles, Germany
 * The Shape of Things to Come (2007) Limited Edition 1000 copies
 * Dog Eat Dog (2010) Limited Edition
 * Bite Me (2011)
 * Vile Whispers (2012)
 * In the Name of Violence (2015)
 * Forgotten Tears (2015)
 * I, Abomination (2017)
 * Spider Bites (2017)
 * Dark Sunday (2019)
 * Psychonaut (2019)
 * Cross the Line (feat. Tragedy of Mine) (2019)
 * Obscured (with Blutengel) (2020)
 * Lost World (2021)
 * Backstabbers (2021)
 * A Symphony Of Rage (2023)

Live recordings

 * Los Hijos Del Infierno (1998)
 * Tierra Eléctrica (1999)
 * Blasphemies in the Holy Land (Live in Israel) (2005) Limited to 2000 copies   Recorded Live By Maor Appelbaum
 * Tora! Tora! Tora! (2008)
 * Blood on the Red Square (2011)
 * Die Hölle Über Berlin (2014)
 * Blasphemies in the Holy Land Part 2 (Shalom from Hell Aviv) (2018)

Vinyl

 * Born to Be (Hated) (2004)
 * Wrack and Ruin 2LP (2004) Boxset Limited to 1000 copies
 * Dog Eat Dog (2010) Limited to 666 copies

DVD

 * A Traves De Mundos Que Arden (2006)
 * Blood On The Red Square (2011)
 * Die Hölle über Berlin (2014)

title: Hocico


text: User talk:207.160.210.253

title: User talk:207.160.210.253


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Golf course

A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". The cup holds a flagstick, known as a "pin". A standard round of golf consists of 18 holes, and as such most courses contain 18 distinct holes; however, there are many 9-hole courses and some that have holes with shared fairways or greens. There are also courses with a non-standard number of holes, such as 12 or 14.

The vast majority of golf courses have holes of varying length and difficulties that are assigned a standard score, known as par, that a proficient player should be able to achieve; this is usually three, four or five strokes. Par-3 courses consist of holes all of which have a par of three. Short courses have gained in popularity; these consist of mostly par 3 holes, but often have some short par 4 holes.

Many older courses are links, often coastal. The first golf courses were based on the topography of sand dunes and dune slacks with a ground cover of grasses, exposed to the wind and sea. Courses are private, public, or municipally owned, and typically feature a pro shop. Many private courses are found at country clubs.

History
The golf course has its roots dating to the 18th century. The 18-hole course Old Course was established in 1764 at St Andrews, Scotland and has existed under its name since 1895.

In 2009, Nullarbor Links, the world's longest golf course spanning 1,365 kilometres, was established along the Eyre Highway, in Australia.

In 2023, the golf course at Moundbuilders Country Club, was integrated into the world heritage-listed Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.

Design
Although a specialty within landscape design or landscape architecture, golf course architecture is considered a separate field of study. Some golf course designers become celebrities in their own right, such as Alister MacKenzie; others are professional golfers of high standing and demonstrated appreciation for golf course composition, such as Jack Nicklaus. The field is partially represented by the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, and the Society of Australian Golf Course Architects, although many of the finest golf course architects in the world choose not to become members of any such group, as associations of architects are not government-sanctioned licensing bodies, but private groups. While golf courses often follow the original landscape, some modification is unavoidable. This is increasingly the case as new courses are more likely to be sited on less optimal land. Bunkers and sand traps are always built in by architects unless the formation of such items is already in the course's natural terrain.

The layout of a course follows certain traditional principles, such as the number of holes (nine and 18 being most common), their par values, and the number of holes of each par value per course. It is also preferable to arrange greens to be close to the tee box of the next playable hole, to minimize travel distance while playing a round, and to vary the mix of shorter and longer holes. Combined with the need to package all the fairways within what is frequently a compact square or rectangular plot of land, the fairways of a course tend to form an oppositional tiling pattern. In complex areas, two holes may share the same tee box, fairway, or even green. It is also common for separate tee-off points to be positioned for men, women, and amateurs, each one respectively lying closer to the green. Eighteen-hole courses are traditionally broken down into a "front 9" (holes 1–9) and a "back 9" (holes 10–18). On older courses (especially links courses, like the Old Course at St. Andrews), the holes may be laid out in one long loop, beginning and ending at the clubhouse, and thus the front 9 is referred to on the scorecard as "out" (heading out away from clubhouse) and the back 9 as "in" (heading back in toward the clubhouse). More recent courses (and especially inland courses) tend to be routed with the front 9 and the back 9 each constituting a separate loop beginning and ending at the clubhouse. This is partly for the convenience of the players and the club, as then it is easier to play just a 9-hole round, if preferred, or stop at the clubhouse for a snack between the front 9 and the back 9.

A successful design is as visually pleasing as it is playable. With golf being a form of outdoor recreation, the strong designer is an adept student of natural landscaping who understands the aesthetic cohesion of vegetation, water bodies, paths, grasses, stonework, and woodwork, among other elements.

Par
Most golf courses have only par-3, −4, and −5 holes, although some courses include par-6 holes. The Ananti CC and the Satsuki golf course in Sano, Japan, are the only courses with par-7 holes.

Par is primarily determined by the playing length of each hole from the teeing ground to the putting green. Holes are generally assigned par values between three and five, which includes a regulation number of strokes to reach the green based on the average distance a proficient golfer hits the ball, and two putts. On occasion, factors other than distance are taken into account when setting the par for a hole; these include altitude, terrain and obstacles that result in a hole playing longer or shorter than its measured distance, e.g. route is significantly uphill or downhill, or requiring play of a stroke to finish short of a body of water before hitting over it.

Under the United States Golf Association, the typical distances for the various holes from standard tees are as follows:

Men
 * Par 3 – Under 260 yd
 * Par 4 – 240 - 490 yd
 * Par 5 – 450 - 710 yd
 * Par 6 – 670 yd or longer

Women
 * Par 3 – Under 220 yd
 * Par 4 – 200 - 420 yd
 * Par 5 – 370 - 600 yd
 * Par 6 – 570 yd or longer

Teeing area
The first section of every hole consists of the teeing ground, or tee-box. There is typically more than one available box where a player places his ball, each one a different distance from the hole (and possibly with a different angle of approach to the green or fairway) to provide differing difficulty. The teeing ground is generally as level as feasible, with closely mown grass very similar to that of a putting green, and most are slightly raised from the surrounding fairway.

Each tee box has two markers showing the bounds of the legal tee area. The teeing area spans the distance between the markers, and extends two-club lengths behind the markers. A golfer may play the ball standing outside the teeing area, but the ball itself must be placed and struck from within the area. A golfer may place his ball directly on the surface of the teeing ground (called hitting it "off the deck"), or the ball may be supported by a manufactured tee (limited to a height of four inches), or by any natural substance, such as a mound of sand placed on the teeing surface.

Fairway and rough
After the first shot from the tee ("teeing off"), the player whose ball is farthest from the green hits the ball from where it came to rest; this spot is known as its "lie". When the ball is in play and not out of bounds or in a hazard the player must play the ball as it lies. The area between the tee box and the putting green where the grass is cut even and short is called the . The area between the fairway and the out-of-bounds markers, and also between a mowed apron surrounding the green and out of bounds, is the rough; the grass there is cut higher and is often of a coarser strain than on the fairways, making roughs disadvantageous areas from which to hit. On par-3 holes, the player is expected to be able to drive the ball to the green on the first shot from the tee box. On holes longer than par 3, players are expected to require at least one additional shot to reach their greens.

While many holes are designed with a direct line-of-sight from the teeing ground to the green, a hole may bend either to the left or to the right. This is called a "dogleg", in reference to the similarity to a dog's ankle. The hole is called a "dogleg left" if the hole angles leftwards, and a "dogleg right" if the hole angles rightwards. A hole's direction may bend twice, which is called a "double dogleg".

Just as there are good-quality grasses for putting greens, there are good-quality grasses for the fairway and rough. The quality of grass influences the roll of the ball as well as the ability of the player to "take a divot" (effectively, the ability to hit down into the ball, hitting the ball first, then hitting the turf and removing a portion of it as the club continues its arc). Fairways on prestigious tours, like the PGA Tour, are cut low. Mowing heights influence the play of the course. For example, the grass heights at U.S. Open events are alternated from one hole to the next in order to make the course more difficult. One example of this is the infamous roughs at U.S. Opens, which are often 3 to 5 inches high, depending on how close to the fairway or green the section of grass will be. This makes it difficult for a player to recover after a bad shot.

Variants of grass used for fairways and roughs include bent grass, Tifway 419 Bermuda grass, rye grass, Kentucky bluegrass, and Zoysiagrass. As in putting-green grass types, not every grass type works equally well in all climate types.

Greens
The putting green, or simply the green, is an area of very closely trimmed grass on relatively even, smooth ground surrounding the hole, allowing players to make precision strokes on it. To "putt" is to play a stroke on this surface, usually with the eponymous "putter" club, which has very low loft so that the ball rolls smoothly along the ground, and hopefully into the cup. The shape and topology of the green can vary almost without limit, but for practical purposes the green is usually flatter than other areas of the course, though gentle slopes and undulations can add extra challenge to players who must account for these variations in their putting line. The green typically does not include any fully enclosed hazards such as sand or water; however, these hazards can be—and often are—placed adjacent to the green, and depending on the shape of the green and surrounding hazards, and the location of the hole (which often changes from day to day to promote even wear of the turf of the green), there may not be a direct putting line from a point on the green to the cup.

Golfers use a method known as "reading" the green to enhance their chances of making a putt. Reading a green involves determining the speed, grain, incline, decline and tilt of the green on the line of the putt. Most putts are not struck directly at the hole, instead they must be struck to take into account the characteristics of the green to arrive at the hole at the proper angle and speed. The best players will read the green by walking around the green and studying the characteristics of the green before addressing the ball. Many golfers consider reading the green and putting to be the most difficult part of the game.

The green is typically surrounded by slightly higher grass, cut at a height between that of the green and fairway, and then by the fairway and/or rough. This longer grass surrounding the green is known as the fringe and is designed to slow and stop balls rolling along the green from an approach shot or errant putt, preventing them from exiting the green. Though putting strokes can be made on it, the higher grass can interfere with the path of the ball, so players often choose to use a lofted club such as an iron to make a "chip shot" or a "bump and run", where the ball carries in the air for a few yards and then rolls along the green like a normal putt.

The grass of the putting green (more commonly just "green") is cut very short so that a ball can roll for a long distance. The most common types of greens are for cold winter, but warmer summer regions (i.e., not extremely warm, as in the Southern and Southwestern United States) are bent grass greens. A green may consist of a thin carpet so that bad weather is not allowed to become a serious factor in maintaining the course. These are considered the best greens because they may be cut to an extremely low height, and because they may be grown from seed. Bent grass does not have grain, which makes it superior as a putting surface. However, bent grass may become infested with Poa annua, a costly and time-consuming weed. Augusta National is one of many golf courses to use this type of green. The original design of Augusta National did not include bent grass greens, but in the early 1980s the greens were converted from Bermuda to bent grass. This affected the speed of the greens, making them too quick, and several areas were subsequently remodelled to reduce the slopes and make them more playable. Many other golf courses subsequently made the decision to change from Bermuda to bent grass when they observed increased business at courses that had already changed over.

Another type of grass common for greens is TifDwarf Hybrid Bermuda (other variants exist, but TifDwarf is one of the most common), or simply Bermuda grass. Bermuda is more common in regions that have very warm summers and mild winters, such as the Southern and Southwestern United States. Red Bridge Golf Course was the first course in North Carolina to utilize a special Bermuda called Mini Verde. A green is generally established from sod which has had the soil washed off of it (to avoid soil compatibility problems) and which is then laid tightly over the green, then rolled and topdressed with fine sand. Another common and more economical approach for establishing a putting green is to introduce hybrid Bermuda sprigs (the stolon of the grass which are raked out at the sod farm), which are laid out on the green.

Two downside factors of Bermuda greens are cost of maintenance, and also the existence of grain (the growth direction of the blades of grass), which affects the ball's roll and which is called "the grain of the green" and not to be confused with "the rub of the green" which are idiosyncrasies encountered getting through the hole. The slope or break of the green also affects the roll of the ball. The hole, or cup, is always found within the green and must have a diameter of 108 mm and a depth of at least 10 cm. Its position on the green is not fixed and typically is changed daily by a greenskeeper in order to prevent excessive localized wear and damage to the turf. A new hole will be cut by a device that removes a plug of the turf from the ground, and the reinforced cup is then moved, before the old hole is filled in with the plug cut from the new hole and levelled. The hole has a flag on a pole positioned in it so that it may be seen from a distance, but not necessarily from the tee. This location marker is officially called the "flagstick" but is also commonly referred to as the "pin". Flagsticks are made of either coated fiberglass, metal, or wood and have a metal or synthetic bottom (called a ferrule) that is designed to fit in the hole cup.

Putting greens are not all of the same quality. The finest-quality greens are well-kept so that a ball will roll smoothly over the closely mowed grass. Excess water can be removed from a putting green using a machine called a water hog. Golfers describe a green as fast if a light stroke on the ball makes it roll a long distance; conversely, on a slow green a stronger stroke is necessary to roll the ball the same distance. The exact speed of a green can be determined with a stimp meter. By collecting sample measurements, golf courses can be compared in terms of average green speed. It is, however, illegal by the rules of golf to test the speed of a green while playing by rolling a ball on it, or by feeling or rubbing the green.

The cost of installing and maintaining grass greens constitutes a considerable proportion of the expense of installing and maintaining a golf course. To save money, many low budget courses catering to casual players have sand greens instead of real grass. In recent years, artificial turf has also become an increasingly popular surface as a less costly alternative to grass which more closely resembles the appearance and feel of real grass compared to a sand surface.

Hazards
Holes often include hazards, which are special areas that have additional rules for play, and are generally of two types: (1) water hazards, such as ponds, lakes, and rivers; and (2) bunkers, or sand traps.

Special rules apply to playing a ball that falls in a hazard. For example, a player may not touch the ground or water with their club before playing the ball, not even for a practice swing. A ball in any hazard may be played as it lies without penalty. If it cannot be played from the hazard, the ball may be hit from another location, generally with a penalty of one stroke. The Rules of Golf specify exactly the point from which the ball may be played outside a hazard. Bunkers are small to medium areas, usually lower than the fairway but of varying topography, that are filled with sand and generally incorporate a raised lip or barrier. It is more difficult to play the ball from sand than from grass, as the ball may embed itself into the sand, and the loose nature of the sand and more severe sloping of many bunkers make taking one's stance more difficult. As in any hazard, a ball in a bunker must be played without touching the sand with the club except during the stroke, and loose impediments (leaves, stones, twigs) must not be moved before making the stroke.

Courses may also have other design features which the skilled player will avoid; there are earth bunkers (pits or depressions in the ground that are not filled with sand but require a lofted shot to escape), high grass and other dense vegetation, trees or shrubs, ravines and other rocky areas, steep inclines, etc.; while disadvantageous to play from, these are typically not considered "hazards" unless specifically designated so by the course (a ravine or creekbed may be termed a "water hazard" even if completely dry)

Driving range
Often, a golf course will include among its facilities a practice range or driving range, usually with practice greens, bunkers, and driving areas. Markers showing distances are usually included on a practice range for the golfer's information. Driving ranges are also commonly found as separate facilities, unattached to a golf course, where players may simply hit balls into the range for practice or enjoyment.

There may even be a practice course (often shorter and easier to play than a full-scale course), where players may measure the distance they can obtain with a specific club, or in order to improve their swing technique. Practice courses often consist of old holes of a previous design that are kept and maintained for practice purposes or as substitute holes if one or more holes become unplayable; a 21-hole golf course, for instance, will have three additional holes that can be used for practice or as substitutes for a flooded or otherwise damaged hole.

Signature hole
Many golf courses have what may be referred to as a "signature hole". This will commonly be the most memorable, aesthetically pleasing or photogenic hole.

Links

Links is a Scottish term, from the Old English word hlinc : "rising ground, ridge", describing coastal sand dunes and sometimes similar areas inland. It is on links land near the towns of central eastern Scotland that golf has been played since the 15th century.

The shallow top soil and sandy subsoil made links land unsuitable for the cultivation of crops or for urban development and was of low economic value. The links were often treated as common land by the residents of the nearby towns and were used by them for recreation, animal grazing and other activities such as laundering clothes.

The closely grazed turf and naturally good drainage of the links was ideal for golf, and areas of longer grass, heather, low growing bushes and exposed sand provided the hazards that are familiar on modern courses. Although early links courses were often close to the sea it was rarely used as a hazard, perhaps due to the instability of the dunes closest to the water and the high cost of hand-made golf balls precluding anything that could result in their irrecoverable loss. The land is naturally treeless and this combined with their coastal location makes wind and weather an important factor in links golf.

Traditional links courses are often arranged with holes in pairs along the coastline; players would play "out" from the town through a series of holes to the furthest point of the course, and then would return "in" along the second set of holes. The holes may share fairways and sometimes greens (such as at St Andrews to economize on land use, but in modern times this is rare due to the potential for injury from balls coming the other way.

Famous links courses include the Old Course at St. Andrews, often described as the "Home of Golf", and Musselburgh Links, which is generally regarded as the first recorded golf course. The Open Championship, the oldest of golf's major championships, is always played on a links course. Links and links-style golf courses have been developed throughout the world, reproducing the broken, treeless terrain with deep bunkers of their Scottish prototypes.

Executive
An executive course or short course is a course with a total par significantly less than that of a typical 18-hole course. Two main types exist:
 * A "9-hole course", typically the type referred to as an "executive course", has only 9 holes instead of 18, but with the otherwise normal mix of par-3, par-4 and par-5 holes (typically producing a par score of between 34 and 36), and the course can be played through once for a short game, or twice for a full round.
 * A "par-3" course has either 9 or 18 holes, and the distance of each hole is a par 3 rating (typically 240 yards or less from the "men's" tee), with no par-4 or par-5 holes mandating shots through the green (though, occasionally, a "par-3" course may feature a par-4 or even a par-5 hole). As a result, the total par for 18 holes of a par-3 course would be 54 instead of a typical 68–72. Some par-3 courses still require the use of a wood on some tee shots, and thus a "complete" set of clubs is used.
 * A common standardized type of par-3 course is the "Pitch and Putt" course, where each of the 9 or 18 holes has a distance from tee to cup of less than 100 yards, with an overall 18-hole course distance no more than 1,200 yards (so each hole averages 67 yards). This allows the course to be played without a full set of clubs; typically only wedges are needed, possibly a 9-iron for the longest holes, along with a putter, to play the course. The rules for formal Pitch and Putt competitions mandate a three-club limit, consisting of two irons and one putter.

These types of courses provide a faster pace of play than a standard course, and get their name from their target patronage of business executives who would play the course on a long lunch or as part of a meeting. They are also popular with young professionals, because during the normal golf season, the course can usually be played in the time between the end of the work day and sundown.

The popularity of the 9-hole course has waned in recent decades; a full 18-hole course still allows for the player to play only the "front nine" or "back nine" as a shorter game, while attracting more golfers seeking to play a traditional full round of 18 distinct holes. Many older executive courses have been upgraded "in-place" to 18 holes and a traditional par score, or the original course was sold for other development and new land was acquired and built into an 18-hole course. By contrast, par-3 courses, especially Pitch and Putt, are rising in popularity as a compromise between the long play time and high skill levels required of a traditional 18-hole course, and the artificial nature and single-minded putting focus of miniature golf. Pitch and Putt, specifically its governing association the IPPA, has received financial support and logo rights from the R&A.

In 2014, the PGA Tour held a Champions Tour event on a nine-hole par-3 course, the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf in Ridgedale, Missouri, with four (regular division) or three (over-65 division) rounds played over the par-3 course, and one round played on a nearby regulation 18-hole course with par of 71.

Pitch and putt

Pitch and putt is an amateur sport, similar to golf and is also known as chip and putt. The maximum hole length for international competitions is 90 m with a maximum total course length of 1200 m. Players may only use three clubs; one of which must be a putter. The game is played from raised artificial teeing surfaces using a tee and it has its own handicap system.

Ownership and management
There are three main categories of ownership and management of a golf course: private, commercial, and municipal.

Private
A private course is owned and managed by a golf club on behalf of its members, on a non-profit basis. Many of the courses opened during the golf booms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are of this type. Some courses, such as Augusta National, are highly exclusive and will only allow visitors to play at the invitation of and alongside a member of the club. Others allow visitors at certain times but may insist on advance booking and proof of golfing competency.

Commercial
A commercial course is owned and managed by a private organization and is operated for profit. They may be constructed to provide a core or supplementary attraction for visitors to a hotel or commercial resort, as the centrepiece to a real estate development, as an exclusive Country Club, or as a "Pay and Play" course open to the general public. Notable examples include Pinehurst in the US and Gleneagles in Scotland.

Municipal
A municipal course is owned and managed by a local government body for the benefit of residents and visitors. Some of the historic Scottish golf courses, including St Andrews and Carnoustie fall into this category along with Bethpage and Pebble Beach in the US and many others of less renown. It is increasingly common for the management of municipal courses to be contracted out to commercial or other organisations or the course to be sold or shut down completely.

Associated clubs
Many commercial and municipal establishments have associated golf clubs, who arrange competitions for their members on the courses and may provide clubhouse facilities. In the UK particularly, some older private members clubs have an associated "Artisan" club, originally established to provide low-cost golf with limited playing rights in exchange for unpaid work on the course. These associated clubs may be totally independent organizations from the course management, or may have various degrees of formal or informal links.

Golf courses around the world
As per 2019 there were 38,864 golf courses around the world. A 2019 study revealed that 78% of the world's supply of golf courses are located in 10 countries: the United States, Japan, Canada, England, Australia, Germany, France, South Korea, Sweden and Scotland.

Environmental impact
Environmental concerns over the use of land for golf courses have grown since the 1960s. Specific issues include the amount of water required for irrigation and the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in maintenance, as well as the destruction of wetlands and other environmentally important areas during construction. These pesticides run off into bodies of water and cause over flowing of pesticides into water which causes algae blooms that destroys whole ecosystem shutdowns. The United Nations estimates that, worldwide, golf courses consume about 2.5 billion gallons/9.5 billion litres of water per day. The number one method of water use goes toward green regulations and the maintainment of courses. Many golf courses are now irrigated with non-potable water and rainwater. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prohibited the use of Diazinon on golf courses and sod farms because of its negative impact on bird species in 1988.

In 2022 the U.S. Geological Survey reported that the state of Utah uses about 38 million gallons of water on its golf courses per day - enough water to fill almost 58 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Studies have also found that golf courses take up 2,244,415 acres of land nationwide. A golf course's carbon footprint is ten times greater than an average person's everyday life.

Environmental concerns, along with concerns about cost and human health, have led to research into more environmentally sound practices and turf grasses. The USGA shares best management practices and case studies of U.S. golf courses, on topics such as irrigation efficiency, use of recycled water, stormwater infrastructure, native grasses, and increasing pollinator habitat. Golf course superintendents are often trained in the uses of these practices and grasses. This has led to significant reduction in the amount of water and chemicals on courses. Golf course turf is an excellent filter for water and has been used in communities to cleanse grey water, such as incorporating them into bioswales.

The use of natural creeks and ponds is generally desirable when designing a golf course for their aesthetics and the increase in playing difficulty. However, such areas also typically include wetlands within the flood plain that are unsuitable for golfing and are often filled in and raised to remain dry. In arid areas, dry creek beds can be marked as "water hazards", but the importation of non-native grasses and other plant life can have a detrimental effect on native landscapes, often requiring non-native soil and large quantities of water and fertilizer to maintain the course. In these areas, course builders are often prohibited from growing and maintaining non-native grass on areas of the course other than the fairway, or even on the fairway itself, in which case only greens are allowed to have grass.

A result of modern equipment is that today's players can hit the ball much farther than previously. As a result, because of demand from course customers who possess this enhanced equipment, and also out of an expressed concern for safety, golf course architects have had to lengthen and widen golf courses. Where a 7,000-yard course used to be a great rarity, courses measuring 7,500-yards are now not uncommon, and courses of 8,000-yards are being contemplated. The cause of modern science allows these specifications that cause more acreage to be used up. All this has led to a ten-percent increase in the acreage required to build a typical course. These modern updates are very positive in today's society but at the cost of putting in much more crucial and efficient societal issues. At the same time, water restrictions established by communities have forced courses to limit the amount of maintained turf grass. While most modern 18-hole golf courses occupy as much as 60 ha of land, the average course has 30 ha of maintained turf.

Golf courses can be built on sandy areas along coasts, on abandoned farms, among strip mines, and quarries, and in deserts and forests. Many Western countries have instituted environmental restrictions on where and how courses are allowed to be built. The problem in today's society with building multibillion-dollar courses is that it takes the place for much better use of land. Those methods of use include building communities for the homeless and under privileged, national parks and foresty for tourism, growth of wildlife, and animals to roam free. There is also a problem with giving up farm land which is a top necessity in the US economy which causes problems in the supply chain.

In some parts of the world, attempts to build courses and resorts have led to protests, vandalism, and violence. Populists perceive golf as an elitist activity, and thus golf courses become a target for popular opposition. Resisting golf tourism and golf's expansion has become an objective of some land-reform movements, especially in the Philippines and Indonesia. These causes are valiant but only come to more divide, then instead of coming to conclusions and to agree and make more efforts of making this game more eco friendly.

In The Bahamas, opposition to golf developments has become a national issue. Residents of Great Guana Cay and Bimini, for example, are engaged in legal and political opposition to golf developments on their islands, for fear the golf courses will destroy the nutrient-poor balance on which their coral reef and mangrove systems depend.

In Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in arid regions, golf courses have been constructed on nothing more than oil-covered sand. Players may use a roller on the "greens" to smooth the intended path before putting. In November 2022, four Saudi Arabian golf courses were certified by the GEO foundation that solidifies those courses pledge and to higher the sustainability in the courses in the area and to improve economic output. This act was supported by very strict laws in Saudi Arabia including stewardship, carbon and climate footprint reducal, and restoration of the economy as well.

A course in Coober Pedy, Australia, consists of nine holes dug into mounds of sand, diesel fuel, and oil, with no grass appearing anywhere on the course. Players carry a small piece of astroturf from which they tee the ball. Other Australian golf courses in locations where water is scarce or water conservation is a priority sometimes feature "scrapes" in place of greens. These are made of fine dirt which requires raking between uses but does not require watering.

Audubon International has an educational and certification program for golf courses to achieve higher environmental standards and become a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

While golf courses are a big target of pollution and global warming, there has been good efforts of evolving golf into a game which helps the environment and not the latter of destroying it. Golf courses often create large green spaces that serve as habitats for various plants and animals. Some courses incorporate natural features and wildlife corridors, contributing to biodiversity. This is a big step forward in the movement towards a greener environment. Golf courses as a whole also typically require substantial water for irrigation. Properly managed courses can showcase efficient water management practices, such as the use of reclaimed water or sustainable irrigation systems. These are the first crucial stages to conquer environmental issues and the problems within the golf industry. The sustainability issue hits when animals and non invasive plant life are displaced and alteration and distortion to many prominent swamps, wetlands, and other prominent wildlife fixtures.

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Cachet

In philately, a cachet is a printed or stamped design or inscription, other than a cancellation or pre-printed postage, on an envelope, postcard, or postal card to commemorate a postal or philatelic event. There are both official and private (independent of postal authorities) cachets. They commemorate everything from the first flight on a particular route, to the Super Bowl. Cachets are also frequently made, either by private companies or a government, for first day of issue stamp events or "second-day" stamp events. They are often present on event covers.

The first cacheted FDC (first day cover) was produced by prominent philatelist and cachet maker George Ward Linn in 1923, for the Warren G. Harding memorial stamp issue.

Cachet-making is considered an art form, and cachets may be produced by using any number of methods, including drawing or painting directly onto the envelope, serigraphy, block printing, lithography, engraving, laser printing, attachment of photographs or other paper memorabilia, etc. Frequently, flight cachets (which have also been used in space and on the moon) are rubber-stamped.

The largest and best-known cachet-making companies, which typically produce thousands or tens of thousands of printed cachets for U.S. stamp issues, are ArtCraft (1939–2015), Artmaster, Fleetwood, House of Farnam, and Colorano.

title: Cachet


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Aerogram

An aerogram, aerogramme, aérogramme, air letter or airletter is a thin lightweight piece of foldable and gummed paper for writing a letter for transit via airmail, in which the letter and envelope are one and the same. Most postal administrations forbid enclosures in these light letters, which are usually sent abroad at a preferential rate. Printed warnings existed to say that an enclosure would cause the mail to go at the higher letter rate.

The use of the term aerogramme was officially endorsed at the 1952 Universal Postal Union Postal Union Congress in Brussels. Thereafter, the term air letter quickly faded from use.

Most aerograms have an imprinted stamp indicating the prepayment of postage. As such, this meets the definition of being postal stationery. However, some countries such as Zimbabwe and Ireland, sell unstamped aerograms. Unstamped aerograms are referred to as formular aerograms and can be issued by either postal authorities or by private companies. Senders are required to write their name and address on the reverse.

History

Lieutenant Colonel R. E. Evans first saw the air letter form in Iraq, whilst touring the Commands after his arrival in the Middle East theatre. It had been introduced into the Iraqi postal service in 1933 by the then Inspector General of Posts and Telegraphs, Major Douglas William Gumbley CBE DSO Royal Engineers. The original form, on thin paper sized 124 mm x 99 mm, greyish in colour, with bluelined framing and with the designation legend on the front. It had an embossed effigy of Faisal I of Iraq and was printed by Bradbury Wilkinson.

The aerogram was largely popularized by its use during the Second World War (1939–1945). Lieutenant Colonel R. E. Evans, Royal Engineers, Assistant Director Army Postal Service Middle East Force (MEF), proposed that a lightweight self-sealing letter card that weighed only 1/10 oz (2.8 g) be adopted by the British Army for air mail purposes. He recommended its use to Anthony Eden, the Secretary of State for War during his visit to the Middle East, in late 1940. By January the following year, General Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, the Commander-in-Chief, MEF was told by Eden that "Your Assistant Director Army Postal Services may forthwith introduce an Air Mail Letter Card Service for the Middle East. Use British stamps from all countries, including Egypt.".

On 1 March 1941, the air mail service between the Middle East and the UK was started, using a combination of British Overseas Airways flying boats and military transport. The private nature of the air letter ensured its popularity among its users and that popularity, with its lightness, brought about its continued use as the civilian air letter (aerogramme) and the British military "bluey". (see British Forces Post Office for further information). The aerogramme cost 6d to send anywhere in the world from 1943 to 1966, increasing to 9d until the decimalisation of British currency in 1971, then increasing gradually to 45p (decimal), 18 times the introductory price, in 2006.

On 29 April 1947, the US introduced a 10 cent Air Letter Sheet. The same imprinted stamp with the propeller plane was used until updated with a jet airliner image in 1958. The US issued a total of 25 aerograms until 1999. The production of United States aerograms has ceased. Linn's Stamp News in late 2006 reported that the United States Postal Service had announced as the supply of aerograms on hand at post offices were exhausted the stock would not be replenished. It quotes David Failor, Postal Service executive director of stamp services as explaining, "Demand for these has been next to nothing for the past five years."

With the decline in postal communication, aerograms have been withdrawn by various postal services. Royal Mail in the United Kingdom discontinued the aerogram in 2012. Japan Post Holdings announced its aerogram service would end on 30 September 2023. , they were still provided by Australia Post and Hongkong Post.

Historically, as the aerogram was the least expensive form of international postal communication, users often went to extreme lengths to make best use of the space available including writing in different colours, in different directions, and printing on the sheets minimising font size and margins.

title: Aerogram


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John Kidd (chemist)

John Kidd (10 September 1775 – 7 September 1851) was an English physician, chemist and geologist who took a leading role in Oxford's "scientific awakening" in the early years of the nineteenth century.

Biography
Kidd was born in Westminster, the son of a naval officer, and was educated at Christ Church, Oxford. He became reader in chemistry at Oxford in 1801, and in 1803 was elected the first Aldrichian Professor of Chemistry. He then voluntarily gave courses of lectures on mineralogy and geology. These were delivered in the dark chambers under the Ashmolean Museum, where William Conybeare, William Buckland, Charles Daubeny and others gained their first lessons in geology. Kidd was a popular and instructive lecturer, and through his efforts the geological chair, first held by Buckland, was established.

Kidd's two geological publications — his Outlines of Mineralogy (1809) and Geological Essay on the Imperfect Evidence in Support of a Theory of the Earth (1815) — have been described as providing "the seeds of an Oxford school of geology," characterized by a distinctive emphasis on diluvial theory. In 1818 he became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians; in 1822 Regius Professor of Medicine in succession to Sir Christopher Pegge; and in 1834 he was appointed keeper of the Radcliffe Library.

In March 1822 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1830 the president of the Royal Society appointed him as one of the eight authors of the Bridgewater Treatises "on the Power, Wisdom, and Goodness of God as Manifested in the Creation." His treatise on the "Adaptation of External Nature to the Physical Condition of Man," which was published in 1833, offered "a popular rather than a scientific exposition of facts" and set out to protect readers from materialism and the transmutation of species. Kidd refused to "maintain an argument" about natural theology, addressing himself "exclusively to those who are believers." He delivered the Harveian Oration before the Royal College of Physicians in 1836.

Publications

 * Outlines of Mineralogy (1809)
 * A Geological Essay on the Imperfect Evidence in Support of a Theory of the Earth (1815)
 * On the Adaptation of External Nature to the Physical Condition of Man (1833). This was the second Bridgewater Treatise.

title: John Kidd (chemist)


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Andy White (drummer)

Andrew McLuckie White (27 July 1930 – 9 November 2015) was a Scottish drummer, primarily a session musician. He is best known for temporarily replacing Ringo Starr on drums for the Beatles' first single, "Love Me Do". White was featured on the American 7" single release of the song, which also appeared on the band's debut British album, Please Please Me. He also played on "P.S. I Love You", which was the B-side of "Love Me Do".

White played with other prominent musicians and groups both in the United Kingdom and the United States, including Chuck Berry, Billy Fury, Herman's Hermits and Tom Jones. AllMusic called White "one of the busier drummers in England from the late '50s through the mid-'70s".

Early life and early career
Andrew McLuckie White was born in Stranraer on 27 July 1930, the son of a baker. At the age of 12, he started playing drums in a pipe band, and became a professional session musician at the age of 17. In the 1950s and early 1960s, White played drums with a number of swing and traditional jazz groups and musicians. In 1958 he formed a big band jazz outfit and took it to the American Northeast where he backed rockers like Chuck Berry, the Platters and Bill Haley & His Comets.

White said, "We used some big band arrangements and put a back beat to it to fit in with the rock 'n' roll thing. I got the chance to hear rock 'n' roll in the flesh. That was where I got a good idea about what it was supposed to happen, drumwise." In 1960 in London White recorded with Billy Fury on Fury's first album, The Sound of Fury, which is generally regarded as Britain's first rock and roll album.

In the early 1960s White lived in Thames Ditton and was married to the British Decca artist Lyn Cornell, who later became a member of the Vernons Girls, the Pearls, and also the Carefrees, who had the biggest selling Beatles novelty single ever with "We Love You Beatles," peaking in the U.S. at No. 39 and staying on the Billboard charts for five weeks.

The Beatles
In September 1962, White received a call from producer Ron Richards asking him to attend a Beatles recording session at the EMI Studios at Abbey Road in London. Richards was record producer George Martin's assistant at the time and had used White in the past. The Beatles had recorded "Love Me Do" twice already: at an EMI audition on 6 June 1962 with Pete Best on drums when he was still a member of the group; and again on 4 September 1962 now with Ringo Starr on drums, Starr having replaced Best the previous month.

Martin had disapproved of Best's drumming and was still unhappy with newcomer Starr's drumming. On 11 September 1962, Richards, who was in charge of recording that day, wanted the song recorded again, and the Beatles played "Love Me Do" a third time, this time with White replacing Starr on drums and Starr relegated to playing tambourine. "P.S. I Love You" was also recorded during this session with White playing a "lightweight cha-cha-chá beat" on bongos rather than drums and Starr playing maracas. White says he was paid £5 for the session and 10 shillings for bringing his drum kit, and did not earn any royalties from the sale of the records.

The version of "Love Me Do" with Starr playing drums was used on the early British pressings of the single in 1962. The version with White playing drums was used on the first American pressings of the single in 1964, all later releases of the single, on the Beatles' debut British album, Please Please Me, in 1963, and most subsequent albums that included the song. The version with Starr on drums has also been reissued on occasion; it appears on the Rarities (1980) compilation, which was released in North America, and received worldwide release on the Past Masters compilation in 1988.

A 1992 single includes both the Starr and White versions. An easy way to distinguish between the two versions is that White's version features Starr on tambourine; Starr's version does not include a tambourine. The Pete Best version of the song, initially thought to be lost, was released for the first time on Anthology 1 (1995). "P.S. I Love You", with White drumming, was released on the "B" side of the "Love Me Do" single, and on the Please Please Me album.

In a 2012 BBC interview, White claimed that during the 11 September session he also played on a recording of "Please Please Me", and that this performance was used on the hit single: "From the drum sound I can tell that I was on it, because it was a vastly different sound to Ringo's drumset at that time. This was before he got the Ludwig kit. Each drummer gets an individual sound, first of all by the way they tune the drums and then by the way they play the drums." In any case, he did not participate in the final recording on 26 November, and was only hired for the 11 September session.

This was the only time White played with the Beatles, but it was enough to get him "into the history books", and the distinction of being one of the so-called "fifth Beatles". White said that on that day in the studio the only members of the Beatles he worked with were Paul McCartney and John Lennon, because they were the songwriters. "They didn't use any written music, and what I had to do was play the routines with them to get an idea what they wanted before we could even start recording."

Other projects
Later, White played on hit records by Herman's Hermits, on Tom Jones's hit song "It's Not Unusual" and on "Shout" by Lulu. He also worked with many other musicians and groups, including Rod Stewart, Anthony Newley, Bert Weedon and the BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra in Glasgow. In the mid-1960s White toured the United States with Marlene Dietrich and performed in her cabaret shows, under the musical direction of the then-unknown composer Burt Bacharach,  and, from 1965 until he retired in 1975, the British pianist and composer William Blezard.

White played drums on "P.S. I Love You" again in 2008, this time on a version by a New Jersey-based rock band, the Smithereens. In 2007 the band had recorded Meet the Smithereens!, a tribute to the Beatles, covering their entire Meet the Beatles! album. After Beatles expert Tom Frangione introduced White to the band, they asked White to record with them on their next Beatles tribute album at their House of Vibes recording studio in Highland Park. White's drumming on "P.S. I Love You" was released late in 2008 on B-Sides The Beatles, an album of Beatles B-side covers from 1962 to 1965. A Smithereens version of "Love Me Do" with White was also recorded during the session, but was left unreleased until a 2020 single release. White also played drums with the Smithereens in May 2008 at a We Get By with a Little Help from Our Friends charity health-care fundraiser at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn.

In the late 1980s White moved to United States and lived in Caldwell, New Jersey, where he taught Scottish pipe band drumming. He was also a judge for the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association (EUSPBA), and drum instructor for the New York City Department of Corrections Emerald Pipe Band. He was married to Thea White, a librarian who supplied the voice of Muriel on the Cartoon Network show Courage the Cowardly Dog. White had a bumper sticker on his car that read "5THBEATLE". He said that "One of my students gave that to me."

Death
White died after a stroke at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey on 9 November 2015 at the age of 85.

title: Andy White (drummer)