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Lists of World War II military equipment

Lists of World War II military equipment are lists of military equipment in use during World War II (1939–1945). They include lists of aircraft, ships, vehicles, weapons, personal equipment, uniforms, and other equipment. There are aggregated military equipment lists by country, and lists of classes of equipment broken down by country or by type.

Aircraft

 * List of aircraft of World War II
 * List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
 * List of German aircraft projects, 1939–45
 * List of aircraft of the French Air Force during World War II
 * List of aircraft of the United States during World War II
 * List of aircraft of the United Kingdom in World War II
 * List of aircraft of the Red Army Air Forces
 * List of Regia Aeronautica aircraft used in World War II
 * List of aircraft of Japan during World War II
 * List of aircraft of Finland in World War II
 * List of aircraft of Poland during World War II
 * List of aircraft of Greece in World War II
 * List of aircraft of Yugoslavia in World War II
 * List of aircraft of Hungary in World War II
 * List of aircraft of Switzerland in World War II
 * List of aircraft of Spain in World War II
 * List of aircraft of Portugal in World War II
 * List of aircraft of Ireland in World War II

Ships

 * List of ships of World War II
 * List of aircraft carriers of World War II
 * List of battleships of World War II
 * List of battlecruisers of World War II
 * List of coastal defence ships of World War II
 * List of monitors of World War II
 * List of destroyers of World War II
 * List of frigates of World War II
 * List of corvettes of World War II
 * List of minor warships of World War II
 * List of cruisers of World War II
 * List of submarines of World War II
 * List of ship classes of World War II

Vehicles

 * List of military vehicles of World War II
 * List of armoured fighting vehicles of World War II
 * List of prototype World War II combat vehicles

Weapons

 * List of World War II weapons
 * List of common World War II infantry weapons
 * List of secondary and special-issue World War II infantry weapons
 * List of World War II firearms of Germany
 * List of military equipment of Germany's allies on the Eastern front
 * German designations of foreign artillery in World War II
 * German designations of foreign firearms in World War II
 * List of World War II weapons of Portugal

Aggregated military equipment by country

 * List of Australian military equipment of World War II
 * List of Belgian military equipment of World War II
 * List of British military equipment of World War II
 * List of Bulgarian military equipment of World War II
 * List of military equipment of the Canadian Army during the Second World War
 * List of Chinese military equipment in World War II
 * List of Croatian military equipment of World War II
 * List of Danish military equipment of World War II
 * List of Dutch military equipment of World War II
 * List of Finnish military equipment of World War II
 * List of World War II weapons of France
 * List of German military equipment of World War II
 * List of Greek military equipment of World War II
 * List of Hungarian military equipment of World War II
 * List of Japanese military equipment of World War II
 * List of Norwegian military equipment of World War II
 * List of Romanian military equipment of World War II
 * List of Thailand military equipment of World War II
 * List of Turkish military equipment of World War II
 * List of aircraft of Ireland in World War II
 * List of Italian Army equipment in World War II
 * List of equipment of the United States Army during World War II
 * List of Soviet Union military equipment of World War II
 * List of Spanish military equipment of World War II
 * List of World War II weapons of Poland
 * Military equipment of Sweden during World War II
 * List of Portuguese military equipment of World War II
 * List of Yugoslav military equipment of World War II

Personal equipment and uniforms

 * List of World War II uniforms and clothing

Other equipment

 * List of World War II electronic warfare equipment


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LeConte's sparrow

LeConte's sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii), also known as LeConte's bunting, is one of the smallest New World sparrow species in North America.

Description
LeConte's sparrow is a small sparrow with a relatively large head, short grey bill and short pointed tail. It has a buffy yellow-orange face with grey cheeks, and a dark brown crown with a white central stripe. The nape of the neck is lilac grey with chestnut streaks, and the back is streaked with brown and beige. Its belly is off white, while the breast and sides are a buffy orange-yellow with dark brown streaks. The feet and legs are a brownish-pink colour.

Measurements
The measurements for both sexes are:
 * Length: 4.7 in/ 12 cm
 * Wingspan: 7.1 in/18 cm
 * Weight: 0.4-0.6 oz/ 12-16 g

Similar birds
LeConte's sparrow is commonly mistaken for other small sparrows, such as the Nelson's sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni), grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), Henslow's sparrow (Centronyx henslowii), saltmarsh sparrow (Ammospiza caudacuta), and Baird's sparrow. (C. bairdii).

Taxonomy
LeConte's sparrow is a member of the order Passerifomes, which are the perching birds, sometimes less accurately referred to as the songbirds. It is from the family Passerellidae, which is characterized by species of small birds with bills adapted to seed eating. LeConte's sparrow was placed in the genus Ammodramus in the past and a molecular phylogeny of the related groups identified that genus as being polyphyletic and recommended the group to be split up. This species falls within the genus Ammospiza clade which includes A. maritimus, A. nelsoni, and A. caudacutus, which are the ground-loving sparrows that prefer staying in tall, thick grasses to perching on trees. There has been a recorded case of a LeConte's sparrow that hybridized with a Nelson's sparrow, in June 1949 in Ontario, Canada.

LeConte's sparrow was first described by John Latham in 1790 but only received a valid binomial name from John James Audubon in 1844. He wrote, "I have named this interesting species after my young friend Doctor Le Conte, son of Major Le Conte, so well known among naturalists, and who is, like his father, much attached to the study of natural history." It is generally believed that he meant John Lawrence LeConte (whose father had been an Army surveyor with the rank of major), although some feel that he was referring to another John LeConte, also a doctor, and John Lawrence's cousin.

Range
LeConte's sparrow breeds in select areas of Canada, such as northeastern British Columbia, across Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba as well as central Ontario and into Quebec; and as far south as northern Michigan, Montana and Minnesota. It winters in the southeastern United States; as far west as central Texas and as far north as central Illinois and Missouri.

Habitat
LeConte's sparrow prefers moist open grassy areas with sufficient vegetation cover to provide shelter. Known habitat use includes meadows, fields, crop stubble, shallow marshy edges, prairie, and occasionally fens and lake-shores within the boreal forest. Studies have shown that vegetation seems to have a greater impact on the abundance of this bird than other factors like climate or patch size. Winter et al. (2005) says that it can be found at highest densities in areas with a "moderate amounts of bare ground". Agriculture and drainage of these areas is currently the greatest threat to LeConte's sparrow.

Behaviour
It is a very secretive bird that prefers to spend most of its time on the ground under the cover of tall grasses. They are typically very difficult to flush, often only flushing at a distance of 1–3 m as they prefer to run across the ground. When they do emerge they rarely fly more than a foot or two above the grass and often descend again within a few meters. Because it is so rarely seen, there are still many gaps in knowledge about LeConte's sparrow. Nests are often very hard to find, and individuals are more often identified by sound than by sight. For example, one survey of LeConte's sparrows identified 86 males by sound, but only 8 of those males by sight. For the same reason, very few LeConte's have ever been banded. Between 1967 and 1984, only 355 were actually banded, and none were ever re-captured.

Vocalizations
The male's song resembles a grasshopper buzz with a short squeaky introductory note and ending with a short chirp. It is often described as tika-zzzzzzzzzzzz-tik while the call is a short tsip. It is most commonly confused with the song of the Nelson's sparrow. The male generally sings from a concealed location, but can also be seen singing from the top of protruding grass stems, or occasionally in flight.

Diet
Their diet in the summer is mostly insects such as weevils, leafhoppers, leaf beetles, stinkbugs, caterpillars, moths and spiders. During the winter time the main diet consists of seeds of grasses and weeds such as northern dropseed, Indian grass, yellow foxtail, panic-grass, scorpion-grass, little bluestem, and big bluestem.

Reproduction
Mating can start as early as late April but peaks in mid-May. Males will sing from the cover of dense grasses, perched on tall grass or in flight. Clutches range from two to six eggs with four being the most common. Incubation is done solely by the female, though both parents aid in feeding. Incubation lasts an average of 11–13 days. Hatchlings are altricial with dull brown downy patches. Pairs will have one or two broods per year. Due to the secretive nature of this bird little is known about the period of time between hatching and fledging.

Nest
Nests are built by the female and are cup shaped, made from fine grasses and lined with soft grass and hair. They are usually attached to standing grasses or sedges and are built on or close to the ground. Their nests are often parasitized by brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater).

Eggs
Eggs are 18 X 14 mm long and are sub elliptical in shape. Eggs are white with undertones of green, grey or blue; covered in fine brown dots, speckles or splotches usually clustered near large end of egg.

Book

 * Lowther, P. E.. (2005). Le Conte’s sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii). The Birds of North America Online. (A. Poole, Ed.) Ithaca: Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology; Retrieved from The Birds of North American Online database.

Theses

 * Doster RH. Ph.D. (2005). Ecology and conservation of wintering migratory birds in early-successional habitats of the lower Mississippi River alluvial valley. University of Arkansas, United States, Arkansas.
 * Reynolds MC. M.S. (1997). Effects of burning on birds in mesquite-grassland. The University of Arizona, United States, Arizona.

Articles

 * Anderson KS. (1975). 1st Massachusetts Specimen of Le-Contes sparrow. Auk. vol 92, no 1.
 * Dale BC, Martin PA & Taylor PS. (1997). Effects of hay management on grassland songbirds in Saskatchewan. Wildlife Society Bulletin. vol 25, no 3. pp. 616–626.
 * Dove CJ, Schmidt B, Gebhard C & Leboeuf E. (2001). Late record of Le Conte's sparrow in Florida. Florida Field Naturalist. vol 29, no 3.
 * Hanowski JM, Christian DP & Nelson MC. (1999). Response of breeding birds to shearing and burning in wetland brush ecosystems. Wetlands. vol 19, no 3. pp. 584–593.
 * Harris B. (1973). Deuel County Notes Specimen Records for Barred Owl and Le-Contes sparrow. South Dakota Bird Notes. vol 26, no 2.
 * Igl LD & Johnson DH. (1995). Dramatic increase of Le Conte's sparrow in conversion reserve program fields in the Northern Great Plains. Prairie Naturalist. vol 27, no 2. pp. 89–94.
 * Johnson DH & Igl LD. (2001). Area requirements of grassland birds: A regional perspective. Auk. vol 118, no 1. pp. 24–34.
 * Maxwell TC, Madden DE & Dawkins RC. (1988). Status of Le Conte's sparrow Ammodramus-Leconteii Emberizidae Wintering in Western Texas USA. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 33, no 3. pp. 373–375.
 * Reynolds MC & Krausman PR. (1998). Effects of winter burning on birds in mesquite grassland. Wildlife Society Bulletin. vol 26, no 4. pp. 867–876.
 * Richter CH. (1969). The Le Contes sparrow in Northeastern Wisconsin. Passenger Pigeon. vol 31, no 3. pp. 275–277.
 * Robbins S. (1969). New Light on the Le Contes sparrow. Passenger Pigeon. vol 31, no 3. pp. 267–274.
 * Roberts JP & Schnell GD. (2006). Comparison of survey methods for wintering grassland birds. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 77, no 1. pp. 46–60.
 * Villard MA & Bracken RA. (1989). First Confirmed Breeding Record of Le Conte's sparrow Ammodramus-Leconteii in Eastern Ontario Canada. Canadian Field-Naturalist. vol 103, no 1. pp. 89–90.
 * Winter M, Shaffer JA, Johnson DH, Donovan TM, Svedarsky WD, Jones PW & Euliss BR. (2005). Habitat and nesting of Le Conte's sparrows in the northern tallgrass prairie. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 76, no 1. pp. 61–71.

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

title: LeConte's sparrow


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Les Pretend

Lesley Presley Pretend is a fictional character in a comic strip (Les Pretend) in the UK comic The Beano with the byline "the Little kid with the big imagination". Originally drawn by John Sherwood, he first appeared in issue 2493, dated 28 April 1990. In each issue, Les pretends to be something and dresses up like it, beginning with a martian in his debut. His dad is called Des (and is thus one of the few Beano parents to be given a name rather than 'mum' or 'dad'), an Elvis Presley fan and impersonator, hence Les' middle name of Presley. Recurring features of the strip are the feasibility of Les' (often improvised) costumes, and the readiness with which Des accepts things like the appearance of a giant creature, and attempts to deal with it in a rational and unfazed way.

Sherwood continued to draw the strip until his death in late 2003. The strip then disappeared from The Beano for a short while, as it was originally planned to retire the character. Eventually, though, it returned to the comic drawn by Trevor Metcalfe, who drew it for about a year between 2004 and 2005, though Steve Bright also drew a few episodes in early 2004. The strip again disappeared before returning a couple of years later, this time drawn by Laura Howell. This was a one off, and showed Les beating a real Dalek in a Dalek fancy dress competition, and appeared in Beano issue 3402 dated 13 October 2007. A Johnny Bean from Happy Bunny Green strip by the same artist followed this up with everyone dressed as vegetables in another fancy dress competition. Les wasn't seen again for nearly a year after that strip until the comic started to run reprints of John Sherwood strips from the 1990s. Laura Howell also drew Les's strip for the 2010 and 2011 Beano Annuals. Sometime shortly before Mike Stirling became editor, Les Pretend was dropped.

Les Pretend returned to The Beano in the Funsize Funnies in #3660 drawn by Laura Howell once again. Les also appeared back into the Beano 2016 annual twice, drawn by Laura Howell. he dresses up as his mum and orders pizza, then Des starts to prefer Les for a mum than the actual mum so Les' mum dresses up as Les. Les also dresses up as a cat, which his Dad uses on his Elvis Presley website to attract more people.

title: Les Pretend


text: Template:County governors of Sweden

title: Template:County governors of Sweden


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Tin-Can Tommy

Tin-Can Tommy (The Clockwork Boy) was a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano, featuring Tommy, the clockwork 'son' of Professor Lee and his wife. It first appeared on the back page of issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, where we learn that it was built due to the death of their own son a year earlier (a concept which predates Astro Boy).

A few years later came the addition of a clockwork sister called Babe, a pet cat called Clanky, and a horse called Ironsides. The strip was created by the Italian Dinelli brothers, but they disappeared in France at the start of World War II. The strip was taken over by one of DC Thomson's own artists after issue 69 with new strips being drawn by Sam Fair, Charles Gordon and George Drysdale. The strip continued until issue No 303 in 1947.

In issue 3185 (dated August 2003) Tin Can Tommy met Bea, Dennis the Menace's baby sister for the comic's 65th anniversary.

title: Tin-Can Tommy


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Battle of Haifa (1948)

The Battle of Haifa, called by the Jewish forces Operation Bi'ur Hametz (מבצע ביעור חמץ "Passover Cleaning"), was a Haganah operation carried out on 21–22 April 1948 and a major event in the final stages of the civil war in Palestine, leading up to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The objective of the operation was the capture of the Arab neighborhoods of Haifa. The operation formed part of the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight, with approximately 15,000 Arab residents being displaced between April 21–22, and with only 4,000 remaining in the city by mid-May from a pre-conflict population of approximately 65,000.

Background
The city of Haifa, on the Mediterranean coast at the north-western edge of the Sharon plain, was a strategic location in Palestine. Haifa was the country's largest deep water port. The head of the spur line to the Hejaz railway was the oil terminal for the Kirkuk–Haifa oil pipeline, which the Iraqi Government had closed in April, and was home to the Consolidated Refineries oil refinery (shut down on April 12 after an incident ). With the capture of the port of Haifa it would be possible for the Haganah to receive supplies and armaments during the impending Arab-Israeli conflict. Therefore the leadership of the provisional government of Israel considered it vital for the welfare of the new state. Moreover, Haifa was within the area allocated to a Jewish state under the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine.

In 1948, Haifa was a mixed city with a population of 135,000, split between Palestinian Jews (70,000) and Palestinian Arabs (65,000). The Arab proportion of the population had, since early 1948, started to dwindle. The main Palestinian Jewish areas of the city were Hadar HaCarmel and Neve Sha'anan; with Khalisa and Wadi Nisnas being predominantly Palestinian Arab. The civil war in Palestine escalated with the final stages of the British Mandate. In Jerusalem, by January 1947 the British had evacuated 2,000 subjects for their own safety. In the wake of the British civil evacuation, the families of well-to-do Arabs and many of the Arab civic leaders also decamped. According to Edward Atiyah, former Secretary of the Arab league Office in London, “The wholesale exodus was partly due to the belief of the Arabs, encouraged by the boasting of an unrealistic Arabic press and the irresponsible utterances of some Arab leaders, that it could be only a matter of some weeks before the Jews were defeated. But it was also, and in many parts of the country, largely due to a policy of deliberate terrorism and eviction followed by Jewish commanders in the area they occupied”. The refusal of the “Arab League“ to intervene had been a cause of widespread demoralisation of the Palestinian Arab population. By mid March 25,000 to 30,000 Palestinian Arabs had already evacuated from Haifa.

Haganah's April offensive – including Operation Nachshon to open the Tel-Aviv-Jerusalem road and Operation Yiftah to control eastern Galilea – appeared to take the Arab Higher Committee (AHC) by surprise. The Haifa Arab National Committee (NC) in communique number 7, 22   February, demanded of the Palestinian Arab inhabitants that they cease all shooting and return to work. The Palestinian Arab half of Haifa was remote from other major Palestinian Arab centres and contact had been cut off by the Palestinian Jewish villages along the approach roads to Haifa. Businesses and workshops had closed with no prospect of continued employment. Unemployment was rife and the cost of food had escalated.

Preparations
On 17   March 1948 Mohammad bin Hammad Al Huneiti, commander of the town's Arab militia, was killed in an ambush of a convoy bringing 15 tons of arms and explosives. His death left his followers demoralised. According to Jon Kimche the Haganah had a highly placed informer and were able to intercept nine of eleven Palestinian Arab arms convoys into Haifa. The Arab garrison of the Palestinian Arab areas of the city was commanded by Captain Amin Izz al-Din who had been appointed by the Arab Liberation Army's (ALA) military committee on 27   March in Damascus. Through the next month his original force of 450 was depleted by desertion until it was no longer a fighting force.

The British had previously controlled the city and maintained a buffer between the Jewish and Arab populations. In preparation for the total evacuation of all British forces from the mandate, the British began an evacuation of troops through the port of Haifa in early April. A volunteer police force had been established in preparation of handing over to the United Nations Palestine Commission as the provisional Government of Palestine. The original British Government intentions had been to evacuate Palestine gradually from south to north of Palestine, using Haifa as the embarkation port, to be completed by mid May. On the same day as the fall of Tiberias, 18   April 1948, Major-General Hugh Stockwell, British Commanding Officer, Northern sector, Haifa, summoned Harry Beilin, the Jewish Agency liaison officer to the British Army, to his headquarters. Stockwell informed Beilin of his intention to immediately start to evacuate the British forces from the borders and no-man's-land zones in Haifa and that the evacuation would be completed by 20   April. The Haganah saw this change of plan as an opportunity and quickly prepared a 3-pronged attack on the Arab neighborhoods of Wadi Nisnas, Wadi Salib and Khalisa.

The German Colony at Waldheim and Bethlehem had been confined until 18   April 1948 when Haganah forces attacked the area killing two unarmed internees and wounding four others. Haganah also occupied the German Colony and the internees requested evacuation to Australia. The 270–300 internees were evacuated to Egypt on 20   April for transit to Australia as a matter of urgency. The remaining 50 Templers emigrated after the establishment of the State of Israel.

On 20   April Captain Amin Bey Izz al-Din and Beilin were summoned to the British HQ and were advised of the British intention to withdraw as per the previous meeting where only Beilin and Stockwell had attended on 18 April. Izz al-Din promptly left for Damascus to report to the Military Committee of the ALA and handed over command to Yunnis Naffa, a Palestinian sanitary engineer. The departure of Izz al-Din led to demoralisation and on 21 April prominent members of the Haifa NC (Hakim Khalil and Ahmad Bay Khalil) evacuated.

The sudden British deployment caused the Carmeli commanders to re-work the details of the operation (previously a plan called Operation Misparayim or Operation Scissors). The revised plan was named Mivtza Bi'ur Hametz (Operation Passover Cleaning).

The battle
The Haganah's force consisted of 5 companies from the Field Corps, one Palmach company, and a contingent of the Guard Corps. The Palestinian Jewish forces attacked Wadi Salib and Wadi Nisnas from Hadar HaCarmel, while the bulk of the attack on Khalisa came from Neve Sha'anan. The Arab headquarters were in the center of the city, near the port and the railway depot.

Commenting on the use of 'psychological warfare broadcasts' and military tactics in Haifa, Benny Morris wrote: Throughout the Haganah made effective use of Arabic language broadcasts and loudspeaker vans. Haganah Radio announced that 'the day of judgement had arrived' and called on inhabitants to 'kick out the foreign criminals' and to 'move away from every house and street, from every neighbourhood occupied by foreign criminals'. The Haganah broadcasts called on the populace to 'evacuate the women, the children and the old immediately, and send them to a safe haven'... Jewish tactics in the battle were designed to stun and quickly overpower opposition; demoralisation was a primary aim. It was deemed just as important to the outcome as the physical destruction of the Arab units. The mortar barrages and the psychological warfare broadcasts and announcements, and the tactics employed by the infantry companies, advancing from house to house, were all geared to this goal. The orders of Carmeli's 22nd Battalion were 'to kill every [adult male] Arab encountered' and to set alight with fire-bombs 'all objectives that can be set alight. I am sending you posters in Arabic; disperse on route'.

Jon Kimche also describes the "psychological blitz on Arab quarters" until "the Arab nerve broke and the flight from the town assumed panic proportions".

The first attack was on the Rushmiyya Bridge area cutting the Arab areas off. Prior to the main thrust from the higher ground of the Palestinian Jewish neighbourhood, Hadar HaCarmel, the Arab Muslim neighborhood of Khalisa came under mortar bombardment. The 3,500–5,000 Arab irregulars could not mount a real defense. The following day the Arab National Committee of Haifa were prepared to ask for a truce via Stockwell. Stockwell agreed to meet with the Israelis, and returned 15 minutes later. However, the terms proposed by the Haganah – complete disarmament, surrender of weapons, and a curfew – were not accepted by the Arab leadership.

After the release of prisoners from Haifa lock-up, the Arab legion took over the building. By 10:15 Arab casualties had been admitted to the Amin Hospital. Hospital staff and casualties were then evacuated to the Government Hospital in the city. Towards midday the fighting slackened. The Jews had complete control of the Khamra square and Stanton Street and were firing from positions in the Suq (market) area. They had also appeared in strength in the eastern quarter of the town from Wadi Husimiyah Bridge to Tel Amal. Arab women, children and others were still being evacuated from the Suq area through the port of Haifa and other safe areas. Arabs were by this time suing for a truce and the Jews replied that they were prepared to consider it if the Arabs stopped shooting. At 17:00 general Arab resistance had ceased in the eastern area with the exception of a few isolated spots and the Jews were in possession of the Suq as far as the eastern gate. In the Wadi Nisnas area the battle was still going on. Arab casualties in this area are believed to have been considerable. At 18:00 the Arab leaders met to consider the terms laid down at a joint meeting of Arab and Jews.

That afternoon a meeting was held in the town hall to discuss terms of the truce. Due to the inability of the National Committee (Haifa) to guarantee that no incidents would occur, the Arab delegation declared their inability to endorse the proposed truce and requested protection for the evacuation of Haifa's Palestinian Arab citizens. It was noted by The Times that the Haganah had made use of Arabic language broadcasts using Haganah Radio and loudspeaker vans calling on the inhabitants to "kick out the foreign criminals". Similarly the Haganah had broadcast that the Palestinian Arab population should "evacuate the women, the children and the old immediately and sent them to a safe haven". By 22   April 1948 the British were only in control of the Haifa port area. The rest of the city was in the hands of the Carmeli Brigade of the Haganah, commanded by Moshe Carmel.

Arab neighborhoods were attacked with mortars and gunfire. Rashid al-Haj Ibrahim, a Palestinian Arab municipal leader, described attacks as “provoking terror among the women and children, who were very influenced by the horrors of Dayr Yasin.” He described the flight of Haifa's Arab residents thus:

Thousands of women, children and men hurried to the port district in a state of chaos and terror without precedent in the history of the Arab nation. They fled their houses to the coast, barefoot and naked, to wait for their turn to travel to Lebanon. They left their homeland, their houses, their possessions, their money, their welfare, and their trades, to surrender their dignity and their souls.

Historian Walid Khalidi described "the mass exodus of Haifa's Arab population" as "the spontaneous reaction to the ruthless combination of terror and psychological warfare tactics adopted by the Haganah during the attack."

Approximately 15,000 Arabs fled Haifa during April 21–22. Estimates of the number of Arabs killed vary, with one Jewish source putting the number at 300.

Aftermath
On 23   April Moshe Carmel declared Martial Law in the town. On the same day units from the Irgun moved into parts of downtown Haifa. Two days later the Haganah forced them to withdraw in a confrontation that resulted in some Irgun casualties. Some reports speak of looting and attacks on civilians. Moshe Dayan was appointed to administer abandoned Arab property in the city. He instituted a policy of collecting anything the army could use and storing it in Zahal warehouses, with the rest distributed among Jewish agricultural settlements. Golda Meir, who was consulted, agreed with this policy.

15,000 civilians were evacuated from Haifa during 21–22 April. Leaving some 30–45,000 non-Jewish citizens. By mid-May only 4,000 from the pre conflict population estimate of 65,000 Palestinian Arabs remained. These were displaced from their homes and concentrated primarily in the Wadi Nisnas neighbourhood in a process that has been described as "ghettoization". A systematic destruction of Arab housing in certain areas was implemented by Haifa's Technical and Urban Development departments in cooperation with the IDF's city commander Ya'akov Lublini.

title: Battle of Haifa (1948)


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Pansy Potter

Pansy Potter is a British comic strip character from the magazine The Beano. She first appeared in Pansy Potter the Strong Man's Daughter issue 21 in 1938, and was first illustrated by Hugh McNeill.

Character background
As The Beano was in its early stages of development, its creator R. D. Low published a newspaper advert in The Daily Telegraph asking for freelance artists to submit ideas for DC Thomson's new children's magazines. One was Manchester-born Hugh McNeill, who would illustrate Puffing Billy and Ping the Elastic Man. DC Thomson's collaborating process developed a comic strip about a strong girl named Bella under the title of "Biff Bang Bella", but would be changed shortly before the official strip was finalised.

Synopsis
Pansy Potter is the daughter of a strong man, and she has dark, spiky hair and wears a short-sleeved, collared dress. Her stories were comedic with the punchlines being about the casual use of her superhuman strength shocking everyone around her.

Original run (1938-1947)
Potter debuted in Pansy Potter the Strong Man's Daughter in issue 21. McNeill illustrated her stories until he had to abandon his career to draw maps in the Second World War. Hairy Dan creator Basil Blackaller continued the series until sometime in 1944 and was succeeded by Sam Fair for three years. Fair's final story appeared in issue 325.

In Wonderland era (1949-1955)
In 1949, Potter starred in a new funny strip that became a full-page spread on the back cover: Pansy Potter in Wonderland. In the strip, Potter accidentally walks into Wonderland through a wishing well and meets characters from nursery rhymes. The Beano celebrated its run by making it the first series on the back cover to be in colour. From issue 369, Pansy Potter in Wonderland had over 200 stories designed by James Clark. When Potter returned home, Clark continued creating her stories until the new Pansy Potter series ended in issue 652.

Third Run (1958)
Charles Grigg and Gordon Bell alternated between the revival over 3 years later in its 42-strip 1958 run.

Sparky appearances
In the 1960s and 1970s Pansy Potter starred in her own comic strip in DC Thomson's Sparky magazine. There were two series between issues 2 to 24, and 80 to 567. She would also appear in four of Sparky annuals.

1989–1993 Beano revival
Pansy Potter returned to The Beano in issue 2474 in 1989 this time drawn by Barry Glennard. This series continued until issue 2640 in 1993.

Funsize Funnies
Potter returned to The Beano in 2013 between issues 3666 and 3674 in the Funsize Funnies section, drawn by Nigel Parkinson. She returned for a second run later on, where she was drawn and written by Kev F. Sutherland. She cameos in Beano 2013 and 2019 annuals, as well as in the magazine's 80th anniversary crossover.

title: Pansy Potter


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Shediac

Shediac (official in both languages; Shédiac is colloquial French) is a heavily Acadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The town is home to the famous Parlee Beach and is known as the "Lobster Capital of the World". It hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing. At the western entrance to the town is a 90-ton sculpture called The World's Largest Lobster. It is believed that chiac, a well-known Acadian French patois, was named after Shediac.

Since its founding it has expanded several times, most recently in 2023, when it annexed all or part of four local service districts. Revised census figures have not been released.

Etymology
Shediac was originally called La Batture. Its name was later changed to Shediac in reference to its position at the basin of the Shediac River. The name "Shediac" itself is derived from the Micmac word Esedeiik, which means "which comes from far away", possibly in reference to the Shediac Bay or the current of the Petitcodiac river.

Geography
Shediac is situated primarily on Route 133 around Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait.

Its topography is relatively flat and its soil is mostly composed of sedimentary rocks dating from the Pennsylvanian. Shediac enjoys a continental climate.

The town is located southwest and adjacent to the community of Pointe-du-Chêne, once the eastern terminus of the European and North American Railway as well as a stopover for Pan-Am's transatlantic "clipper" air service featuring large seaplanes. Imperial Airways' flying boat service to Foynes in Ireland also used the facilities.

History
Hundreds of years ago, the Mi'kmaq encampment of "Es-ed-ei-ik" was one of the major camps in southeast New Brunswick. The Mi'kmaq word "Es-ed-ei-ik" which means "running far in" (in reference to the tide, which has a long range over the shallow, sandy beaches) eventually transformed into Gédaique.

Acadians first arrived at Shediac in 1751 as a result of the Acadian Exodus from peninsular Nova Scotia. During the French and Indian War, French officer Charles Deschamps de Boishebert made his headquarters at both Shediac and Cocagne, New Brunswick. In the autumn of 1755, Boishebert established himself on the south shore of Cocagne Bay, a place known as Boishebert's Camp. The following year, Boishebert moved to Miramichi, New Brunswick, specifically to Beaubears Island. After the war, Acadians returned to the region in 1767. Today many francophones use the spelling Shédiac; however, the town's name upon its incorporation did not feature an accented "e", and correspondingly the official geographic name for the community is Shediac.

Shediac Bay Yacht Club
Shediac Bay Yacht Club is on the Register of 'Canada's Historic Places' for being the location of a local wharf for nearly a century. The previous Shediac Bay Yacht Club House was designed by Roméo Savoie.

Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Shediac had a population of $7,535$ living in $3,293$ of its $3,447$ total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of $6,664$. With a land area of 64 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Income (2015)

Mother tongue (2016)

Notable people

 * Georges-Antoine Belcourt (1803–1874), missionary
 * Edna May Williston Best (1880–1923), feminist
 * Emile Duprée (1936–2023), former professional wrestler and promoter
 * René Duprée (1983 – ), professional wrestler, former WWE wrestler, son of Émile Dupree
 * Muriel McQueen Fergusson (1899–1987), Canadian senator
 * Gord Gallant (1950 – ), professional hockey player
 * Placide Gaudet (1850–1930), journalist, historian
 * Daniel Lionel Hanington (1835–1909), former Premier of New Brunswick
 * Rosa Laricchiuta (1974 – ), professional singer
 * Joseph E. Leblanc (born 1916), politician
 * Samuel Lee (1756–1805), judge, politician
 * Anna Malenfant (1905–1988), singer, educator and composer
 * Edward R. McDonald (1872–1952), lawyer, politician, mayor, inventor of the Crossword Game, 1926
 * Olivier-Maximin Melanson (1854–1926), Acadian businessman and politician
 * A. P. Paterson (1870–1957), politician
 * Scott Pellerin (b. 1970), former professional hockey player
 * Pascal Poirier (1852–1933), writer, lawyer, senator
 * Jean George Robichaud (1883–1969), politician
 * Ferdinand-Joseph Robidoux (1875–1962), lawyer, politician
 * Wes Sheridan, Canadian politician
 * Albert James Smith (1822–1883), former Premier of New Brunswick
 * Ernest A. Smith (1864 – ?), Canadian politician
 * Elsie Wayne (1932–2016), politician
 * John Clarence Webster (1862–1950), physician, historian

Sister city

 * Breaux Bridge, Louisiana since 1970

title: Shediac


text:
Talk:YHWH

Rabbi is a religious Jewish scholar. Scribe is specifically a person who copies the holy scriptures. He must not necessarily have a rabbinic education, but it is common.

rabbi should be replaced with scribe

Redundancy
There's a lot of redundancy between this page, Yahweh and Tetragrammaton. I think this page ought to be redirected to the latter, with any non-duplicate information being copied over into whichever of the two articles is most appropriate. Any thoughts? -Sean 01:49, 22 Apr 2004 (UTC)

title: Talk:YHWH


text:
User:Philx9771~enwiki

zh-cn: User:Philx9771

Philx9771 is from Wuhan, and spend his last 12 years in Shenzhen, and currently working as HR&D Manager with P&O Nedlloyd.

He loves Jinan and Jinan girl, and loves Re Gan Mian.

He is currently working any topics he is interested in, such as travel, Hubei, Wuhan, Jinan.

title: User:Philx9771~enwiki


text:
Nenets Autonomous Okrug

The Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Не́нецкий автоно́мный о́круг; Ненэцие" автономной округ’ ) is a federal subject of Russia and an autonomous okrug of Arkhangelsk Oblast. Its administrative center is the town of Naryan-Mar. It has an area of 176700 km2 and a population of 42,090 as of the 2010 Census, making it the least populous federal subject.

A plan to merge the autonomous okrug with Arkhangelsk Oblast was presented by the governors of both federal subjects on 13 May 2020, with a referendum planned for September, but was met with opposition by locals, leading to the merger process being scrapped completely.

Geography

The arctic ecology of this area has a number of unique features derived from the extreme temperatures and unique geologic province. Polar bears are found in this locale; in fact, the sub-population found here is a genetically distinct taxon associated with the Barents Sea region. The autonomous okrug has a size of approximately 177,000 km2, more than four times the size of Switzerland or around the same size as the U.S. state of Missouri. The district is around 320 km from north to south and around 950 km from east to west, stretching from Mys Bolvansky Nos in the north to the source of the Oma River in the south and Cape Kanin Nos in the west to the banks of the Kara River in the east.

The okrug has a number of peninsulas – from west to east these are: Kanin peninsula, Svyatoy Nos peninsula, Russkiy Zavorot peninsula and the Yugorsky Peninsula. There are a number of islands off the Nenets coast – from west to east the most important are Kolguyev Island, Sengeyskiy Island, Dolgiy Island, the Gulyayevskiye Koshki Islands, Lovetskiy Island, Pesyakov Island, Dolgy Island, Bolshoy Zelenets Island, Vaygach Island, Oleniy Island and Mestnyy Island. Of these, Kolguyev and Vaygach are by far the largest, being the 119th and 156th largest islands in the world.

Administrative divisions
The okrug is administratively divided into one district (Zapolyarny District) and one town of okrug significance (Naryan-Mar). The district is further divided into selsoviets. Municipally, the town of Naryan-Mar is incorporated as Naryan-Mar Urban Okrug, while the district (including the settlement of Kharuta, which geographically is an exclave surrounded by the territory of the Komi Republic) is incorporated as Zapolyarny Municipal District.

Deputies in the State Duma

 * Artur Chilingarov – Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia of the I, II, III, IV, and V convocations (from 1993 to 2011) in the Nenets single-mandate constituency No. 218.
 * Vladimir Pekhtin – Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia of the VI convocation (from 2011 to 2013), elected on the regional list of the United Russia party. On 20 February 2013, Pekhtin voluntarily resigned as a deputy of the State Duma in connection with allegations of concealing income and real estate.
 * Elena Vtorygina – Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia of the VI convocation (since April 3, 2013). Elected on the regional list of the United Russia party.
 * Irina Chirkova – Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia of the VI convocation (in 2011 she was elected on the regional list of Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.
 * Sergey Kotkin – Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia of the VII convocation in the Nenets single-mandate constituency No. 221.

Early history
The first recorded mention of the Nenets people is found in the 11th-century Primary Chronicle, a chronicle of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110, originally compiled in Kiev about 1113 by Nestor the Chronicler. At the time, Kievan Rus was under the influence of Novgorod, as was the whole of the North Eastern territories of Kievan Rus'. By the end of the fifteenth century, Novgorod's influence was waning and the area fell under the control of Muscovy and in 1499, they established, Pustozyorsk (Пустозёрск, literally meaning deserted lakes), and it became a military, commercial, cultural and administrative hub for the area.

By the 18th century, the area was part of Mezensky Uyezd. In 1891, Pechorsky Uyezd was established and in 1896, so was Neskaya Volost. Prior to the formation of the autonomous okrug, this area belonged in part to Mezensky Uyezd in Arkhangelsk Oblast and partly to Izhmo-Pechorsky Uyezd in Komi (Zyriansky) Oblast.

Soviet history
The area now known as Nenets Autonomous Okrug was officially created on July 15, 1929, and at that time included Kanino-Timansky District, Peshsky and Omsky Selsoviets, Mezenskaya Volost and Mezensky Uyezd, Telvisochno-Samoyedsky District, Pechorsky Uyezd, and Izhmo-Pechorsky Uyezd of Komi-Zyryan Autonomous Oblast. At this time, two administrative districts, Canino-Timansky and Bolshezemelsky were founded. In December 1929, further additions were made to the District's area, namely Pustozyorskaya Volost, Pechora District and a number of offshore islands. In 1934, a number of islands, including Vaygach Island were subsumed into the district. Naryan-Mar was elevated to town status in 1935. In July 1940, a third administrative district was formed, Amderminsky, with its administrative headquarters in Amderma. However, on November 23, 1959, all administrative districts were abolished and a number of areas, including the administrative area for Vorkuta, were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Komi Republic and the region took the shape that it still holds today.

Recent history
Zapolyarny Municipal District, one of the youngest districts in Russia, was formed in 2006. Zapolyarny translates as "beyond the polar [circle]", and the district was given this name because the vast majority of the district's area lies north of the arctic circle.

Oil and gas
The economy of Zapolyarny district is dominated by oil and gas, constituting around 99% of all industrial activity within the whole Okrug. In 2021, 99.9% of all exports from the Okrug were of crude petroleum, with the remaining 0.01% comprising fresh fish. The dominance of oil and gas exploration within the Okrug has seen associated revenues increase dramatically, with €190 million generated in 2007 compared to only €6.7 million ten years prior, with fuel industry's share of the districts GRP increasing from 65% in 2001 to 80% in 2005. This increase in revenue has resulted from a marked increase in investment in the area by the parent companies of the concerns operating in the District, such as Rosneft, Lukoil, Total, Surgutneftegas and TNK-BP, whose input equates to approximately 90% of the total annual investment in the district. This investment has included the construction of an oil terminal in the Barents Sea at a cost of approximately €700 million by an independent company especially created to oversee the construction and administration of the terminal, a pipeline to connect the terminal to the ZPS Southern Khylchuyu oilfields at a cost of around €250 million, the completion of the Kharyaga-Indiga pipeline and a gas plant near Khumzha. This allows the transportation of oil and gas throughout the region and into the general Russian pipeline network. There are currently more than 80 separate oil and gas sites of exploration, and it is estimated that there is around 5 billion tons of oil and around 500 billion cubic meters of gas in the district.

In the first quarter of 2009, industrial production grew by 34.7% compared with the same period last year However, investments in industrial and housing construction decreased by 60.6% and 90.9% respectively, in the first three months of 2009, oil production totaled 4,419 million tons, an increase of over 35% on the same period in the previous year

Infrastructure
As a result of the significant and speedy increase in investment in the area, the district is faced with a widespread infrastructure problem meaning that progress at many of the oil and gas exploration sites is hampered by accessibility issues, compounded by the severe arctic climate of the district. The Duma of Nenets Autonomous Okrug has stated their intention to address this issue as a priority, including the construction of the third phase of the Naryan-Mar-Usinsk road, construction of a Naryan-Mar-Telviska-Velikovisochnoye pipeline and a renovation of the wastewater treatment system in Iskateley.

Further plans by Russian railways include the construction of two railways linking settlements in Zapolyarny Municipal District, one, a line running 210 km from Vorkuta, in the Komi Republic, to Ust-Kara in the far east of the district, and another running from Sosnogorsk, also in the Komi Republic, to Indiga in the west of the district. Officials have also proposed that the line to Ust-Kara be extended to Amderma to provide adequate transportation routes to allow the economic extraction of several mineral deposits, with an estimated worth of between €100–135 billion.

Without this investment in infrastructure, the main means of transportation is air, with regular flights to Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Arkangelsk and Usa. In the summer, the main river in the district, the Pechora is used to transport freight.

Indigenous economy
Reindeer husbandry is considered central to the Nenets' way of life, despite only 14% of Nenets people being involved in herding directly at the end of the twentieth century. There are three types of reindeer in the district: collective, personal and private. The majority of reindeer are owned by collective farms, with Nenets people employed to look after them. Those employed in such a capacity are then permitted to own additional personal reindeer, which do not require registration, nor a permit for grazing. The private reindeer are held by the association of reindeer herders, Erv, but these are very much the minority, with reports in 1997 indicating that over 70% of reindeer were held collectively, over 20% personally and only just over 2% privately.

The reindeer are kept, not only to provide for the families of the herders, but also to produce meat and antlers for sale. This meat is mainly sold within the district, since the price of reindeer meat has traditionally been lower than pork or beef, but there are other markets in the Komi Republic and Arkhangelsk Oblast. These outlets are used mainly by groups such as Erv, which have come into existence since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Those groups that effectively represent a continuity of the old collective farm economy, such as Vyucheiskiy and Kharp, generally continue to provide their reindeer to a slaughterhouse as they have always done, which results in lower profits than are generated through Erv's business plan, causing instability and debt amongst the collective farms though it is recognised that these collective farms do provide employment to those who would otherwise be without jobs.

There has been little significant change in the organisation of the reindeer herding enterprises between Soviet times and today, with little change in the number of businesses and those that continue to exist still practising the same business model, making changes only to the branding of the business.

Demographics
Population:

Vital statistics

 * Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service

Ethnic groups
According to the 2021 Census, the ethnic composition was:
 * Russians: 69.6%
 * Nenets: 18%
 * Komi: 6.5%
 * Others: 5.9%

Historical figures are given below: Ethnographic maps shows the Nenets living throughout the Okrug, with the east-central section of the okrug, along the Komi Republic border, showing mixed Nenets-Komi population.

Sport
Governor Igor Koshin has had talks with the Russian Bandy Federation about developing bandy.

title: Nenets Autonomous Okrug


text:
Hot dry noodles

Hot dry noodles, known in Chinese as reganmian, also transliterated as dried and spicy noodles, is a traditional dish of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in central China. Hot dry noodles have an 80-year history in Chinese food culture; they are unique because the noodles are not in a broth like most other Asian-style hot noodle dishes. They are the most significant, famous and popular breakfast food in Wuhan, often sold by street carts and restaurants in residential and business areas. Breakfasts such as hot dry noodles are available from about 5 am, and usually appear at Wuhan's night markets as a late-night snack. These noodles can be prepared within minutes and are affordable, so they are a popular breakfast. There are hot dry noodle restaurants all over the city.

Typical hot dry noodle dishes contain soy sauce, sesame paste, pickled vegetables (carrots and beans), chopped garlic chives and chili oil. Hot dry noodles, along with Shanxi's knife-cut noodles (刀削面; 刀削麵; dāoxiāomiàn), Liangguang's yifumian, Sichuan's dandanmian, and northern China's zhajiangmian, are collectively referred to as the "top five noodles of China" by People's Daily, and in a 2013 article titled "China's Top 10 famous noodles" Business Insider reported that CNTV rated reganmian the top Chinese noodle dish. The specifics of the preparation of hot dry noodles is discussed in Wuhan author Chi Li's novel Cold or Hot, It's Good to Live (冷也好热也好活着就好).

Cooking method
The recipe for hot dry noodles differs from cold noodles and soup noodles, as the dish is served hot without broth.

The fresh noodles are mixed with sesame oil and cooked in boiling water. The cooked and cooled noodles become pliable. Before eating, the noodles will be cooked again the same way, and dressings including spring onion and sauce are added. While preparing hot dry noodles, the noodles are placed into a cone-shaped strainer, dipped briefly into boiling water, and then swirled and drained. The noodles are poured into a paper bowl, sesame paste, salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chive and pickled radish are added, poured on top and stirred.

Origin
Summer in Wuhan is extremely long, and the high temperature causes food to deteriorate rapidly. Consequently, in the past people added dietary alkali into noodles to slow deterioration; this evolved into reganmian.

According to a widely circulated rumor, in the early 1930s there was a small food stand operated by Bao Li, a hawker who made a living by selling bean noodles and noodle soups near a temple in Hankou. One day, Li poured sesame oil onto his noodles accidentally; he boiled them and added shallot and other condiments the next day, and sold them the next morning. His noodles became very popular because of their unique taste, and customers asked Bao Li what kind of noodle it was; Bao Li answered "hot dry noodles".

From then on, Bao Li specialized in hot dry noodles, which caused a sensation in Wuhan with many customers. Many cooks learned from him and specialized in making hot dry noodles. A few years later, a man named Cai opened a hot dry noodle shop at the corner of Manchun Road, Zhongshan Avenue. He named it "Cai Lin Ji", which means the rich source of money, and became a famous shop in Wuhan. Later, it was moved to Zhongshan Avenue opposite Hankou Water Tower and renamed Wuhan Hot Dry Noodles.

Hot dry noodles is Wuhan people's first breakfast choice, we do not have to expend words for its importance to Wuhan people. Those who came to Wuhan from other places remembered Wuhan again mostly because of hot dry noodles. For Wuhan people and those who stayed at Wuhan for a while, hot dry noodles is no longer just a snack, but a feeling that you will miss your hometown if you do not eat, but when you eat it, you will never forget the taste of it.

Reganmian stalls are almost everywhere in Wuhan. The earliest formal store is "Cai Lin Ji". After a hundred years of washing and training, the refreshing and delicious taste of Cai Lin Ji's hot dry noodles is deeply appreciated by the general public, and become the signature of Wuhan snacks. But in recent years, they took a bad turn, which estimated to be associated with the ubiquitous hot dry noodles stand and their bad development.

Variety
During the development and spread of the technique of making hot dry noodles, people in Xinyang, a city in Henan Province, developed their own special way to make them, which became a variant of hot dry noodles eventually.

title: Hot dry noodles


text:
Koryak Okrug

Koryak Okrug (Коря́кский о́круг; Koryak: Чав’чываокруг, Cav’cәvaokrug), or Koryakia (Корякия), was an administrative division of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. It was a federal subject of Russia (an autonomous okrug of Kamchatka Oblast) from 1931 until July 1, 2007, when it merged with Kamchatka Oblast. Prior to the merger, it was called Koryak Autonomous Okrug (Коря́кский автоно́мный о́круг). Its administrative center is the urban locality (an urban-type settlement) of Palana. Population:

Demographics
As of the 2002 census, Koryaks constituted about a quarter of the population. At the time, it had the smallest population of all the federal subjects, despite being ranked seventeenth in size, at 301500 km2, encompassing part of the northern half of Kamchatka Peninsula.

Ethnic groups
About 50.5% of the total population is indigenous, the Koryaks being the largest such group. They are, however, outnumbered by the ethnic Russians.

2006 earthquake
On April 20, 2006, Kamchatka Peninsula was struck by a major earthquake. The 7.7-magnitude tremor had its epicenter near the village of Tilichiki. The Koryakia branch of the Ministry of Emergency Situations said some area residents were injured but there were no fatalities.

The quake occurred at about noon local time Friday, so residents were awake and not caught in their beds.

The United States Geological Survey reported a series of at least fifty smaller aftershocks in the area and immediately offshore. They ranged from 4.1 to 6.5 magnitudes on the Richter scale.

Bruce Presgrave, a geophysicist with the U.S.G.S. in Colorado, said the quake was relatively shallow. He estimated that about 2,000 people live close enough to the epicenter to have felt its full force.

title: Koryak Okrug


text:
Komi-Permyak Okrug

Komi-Permyak Okrug (Ко́ми-Пермя́цкий о́круг, Komi-Permyatsky okrug; Коми-Перем кытш, Komi - Perem kyč ), or Permyakia is a territory with special status within Perm Krai, Russia. Its administrative center is the town of Kudymkar. Population:

It was a federal subject of Russia (an autonomous okrug) until December 1, 2005. It was known as Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug (Ко́ми-Пермя́цкий автоно́мный о́круг; Перым-Коми автономия кытш) at the time.

Geography
Area: 32,770 km2. Location: foothills of the Ural Mountains, upper basin of the Kama River.

History
Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug was established on February 26, 1925. It was an administrative division for Komi-Permyaks, a branch of the Komis, within Perm Oblast. After a referendum held in October 2004, the autonomous okrug was merged with Perm Oblast to form Perm Krai. The referendum was held both in Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug and Perm Oblast, and the majority of citizens of both regions voted for merging.

Until the merger in 2005, the Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug was the only autonomous okrug in which the titular ethnic group made up the majority of the population. The majority was lost in the merger, and the referendum has often been characterized as a "staged" event.

Administrative divisions
(prior to December 1, 2005) (after December 1, 2005)

Vital statistics

 * Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service

Ethnic groups
According to the 2002 Census, Komi-Permyaks make up 59.0% of the okrug's population. Other groups include Russians (38.2%), Tatars (1,100, or 0.8%), Ukrainians (706, or 0.5%), Belarusians (672, or 0.5%), and a host of other groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.

title: Komi-Permyak Okrug


text:
RCN

RCN may refer to:
 * Radio Cadena Nacional (disambiguation), a broadcast network in Colombia
 * RCN Radio
 * RCN TV
 * RCN Corporation (formerly Residential Communications Network), a cable television, telephone, and Internet service provider in the United States
 * Radiowe Centrum Nadawcze, Polish designation for a broadcasting transmitter
 * Reality Check Network, a software based warez magazine that existed from 1995 to 1997
 * UWC Red Cross Nordic, a United World College in Norway
 * Reformed Church of Newtown, a church in Queens, NY
 * Republic of Cinnabar Navy, the setting of the RCN Series of science fiction novels by David Drake
 * Royal Canadian Navy
 * Royal College of Nursing, a professional membership organisation of the United Kingdom
 * Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring is a motorsport event series mainly on the Nürburgring
 * American River Airpark, IATA airport code "RCN"

title: RCN


text:
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug

Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug–Yugra, commonly shortened to Khantia-Mansia, is a federal subject of Russia (an autonomous okrug of Tyumen Oblast). It has a population of 1,532,243 as of the 2010 Census. Its administrative center is located at Khanty-Mansiysk.

The peoples native to the region are the Khanty and the Mansi, known collectively as Ob-Ugric peoples, but today the two groups only constitute 2.5% of the region's population. The local languages, Khanty and Mansi, are part of the Ugric branch of the Finno-Ugric language family, and enjoy a special status in the autonomous okrug. Russian remains the only official language.

In 2012, the majority (51%) of the oil produced in Russia came from Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, giving the region great economic importance in Russia and the world. It borders Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug to the north, Komi Republic to the northwest, Sverdlovsk Oblast to the west, Tyumen Oblast to the south, Tomsk Oblast to the south and southeast and Krasnoyarsk Krai in the east.

History
The okrug was established on December 10, 1930, as Ostyak-Vogul National Okrug (Остя́ко-Вогу́льский национа́льный о́круг). In October 1940, it was renamed the Khanty-Mansi National Okrug. In 1977, along with other national okrugs of the Russian SFSR, it became an autonomous okrug (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug). In 2003, the word "Yugra" was appended to the official name.

Geography

The okrug occupies the central part of the West Siberian Plain.

Principal rivers include the Ob and its tributaries Irtysh and Vatinsky Yogan. There are numerous lakes in the okrug, the largest ones are Numto, Tormemtor, Leushinsky Tuman and Tursuntsky Tuman, among others.

The northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude traverses the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.

Demographics
Population: 1,674,676	(2020);

Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug has an area of 523,100 km2, but the area is sparsely populated. The administrative center is Khanty-Mansiysk, but the largest cities are Surgut, Nizhnevartovsk, and Nefteyugansk.

Ethnic groups
The Indigenous population (Khanty, Mansi, Komi, and Nenets) is only 2.8% of the total population in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. The exploitation of natural gas in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug has attracted immigrants from all over the former Soviet Union. The 2021 Census counted 17 ethnic groups of more than five thousand persons each. The ethnic composition is as follows:

Population of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug:

Historical population figures are shown below:

Vital statistics

Source:

Religion

According to a 2012 survey 38.1% of the population of Yugra adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 5% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 1% of the population adheres to the Slavic native faith (Rodnovery) or to Khanty-Mansi native faith. Muslims (mostly Tatars) constitute 11% of the population. In addition, 23% of the population declares to be spiritual but not religious, 11% is atheist, and 10.9% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question. According to recent reports Jehovah's Witnesses have been subjected to torture and detention in Surgut.

Transport
In Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, the primary transport of goods is by water and railway transport; 29% is transported by road, and 2% by aviation. The total length of railway tracks is 1,106 km. The length of roads is more than 18,000 km.

title: Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug


text:
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Яма́ло-Не́нецкий автоно́мный о́круг; Ямалы-Ненёцие автономной ӈокрук) or Yamalia (Ямалия) is a federal subject of Russia and an autonomous okrug of Tyumen Oblast. Its administrative center is the town of Salekhard, and its largest city is Novy Urengoy. The 2021 Russian Census recorded its population as 510,490.

The autonomous okrug borders Krasnoyarsk Krai to the east, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug to the south, and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Komi Republic to the west.

Geography
The West Siberian petroleum basin is the largest hydrocarbon (petroleum and natural gas) basin in the world covering an area of about 2.2 million km2, and is also the largest oil and gas producing region in Russia.

The Nenets people are an indigenous tribe who have long survived in this region. Their prehistoric life involved subsistence hunting and gathering, including the taking of polar bears; the practice of hunting polar bears (Ursus maritimus) continues up to the present time.

Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude, that is, at the point 70°N and 70°E, with equal degrees. The Polar Urals rise in the western part and the highest point of the okrug, as well as of the whole Ural mountain system, is Mount Payer.

The area consists of arctic tundra and taiga, with three large peninsulas – the Yamal Peninsula, Taz Peninsula and the Gyda Peninsula (itself containing the Yavay Peninsula and Mamonta Peninsula). There are nearly 300,000 lakes in the okrug, some of the main ones being Pyakuto, Chyortovo, Neito, Yambuto, Yarroto and Nembuto.

The Ob River flows through Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug to the Kara Sea via the Gulf of Ob, which dominates the geography of the Okrug (together with its two sub-bays, the Taz Estuary and Khalmyer Bay.

A number of islands are off the okrug's coast – from west to east, the main ones are Torasovey Island, Bolotnyy Island, Litke Island, Sharapovy Koshki Islands, Bely Island, Shokalsky Island, Petsovyye Islands, Proklyatyye Islands, Oleny Island, and Vilkitsky Island.

History
On December 10, 1930, Yamal (Nenets) National Okrug (Ямальский (Ненецкий) национальный округ) was formed based on Ural Oblast.

Demographics

Population:

From 1960 to 2016, Yamal Nenets population increased from 60 000 people to more than 530 000 due to the natural resources discovered in the region. Currently, Yamal Nenets is the only Arctic Region in the Russian Federation that is not experiencing population decline. Despite the growing pressure on the regional environment, former governor Dmitry Kobylkin assured in 2016 that industrial developments are not affecting the traditional lifestyles of the native population. Official data accounts for an increment of 11 percent of the indigenous population from 2006 to 2016.

Ethnic groups
The Nenets make up 8.9% of the population, preceded by ethnic Russians (62.9%), and followed by Tatars (4.7%) and Ukrainians (4.5%). Other prominent ethnic groups include Khanty (2.5%), Azerbaijanis (1.7%), Bashkirs (1.5%), Kumyks (1.2%), and Nogais (0.9%) (all figures are from the 2021 Census). Due to the area's oil and natural gas wealth, it is one of the few places in Russia where the ethnic Russian population is growing.

Religion
According to a 2012 survey 42.2% of the population of Yamalia adhere to the Russian Orthodox Church, 14% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 1% are believers in Orthodox Christianity who do not belong to any church, 1% are members of the Slavic neopaganism (Rodnovery) or practitioners of local shamanic religions, and 1% are members of Protestant churches; Muslims, mostly Caucasian peoples and Tatars, make up 18% of the total population. In addition, 14% of the population declare to be "spiritual but not religious", 8% are atheist, and 0.8% follow other religions or did not give an answer to the question.

Economy
In 2009, Yamalo-Nenetsky Avtonomny Okrug is Russia's most important source of natural gas, with more than 90% of Russia's natural gas being produced there. The region also accounts for 12% of Russia's oil production. The region is the most important to Russia's largest company Gazprom, whose main production fields are located there. Novatek – the country's second-largest gas producer – is also active in the region, with its headquarters located in Tarko-Sale. According to Novatek on 22 October 2019, the natural gas reserves in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug represent 80% of Russia's natural gas and 15% of the world's natural gas supply.

Since the early 2010s Gazprom has been developing Yamal project in the Yamal Peninsula area. As of 2020, Yamal produces over 20% of Russia's gas, which is expected to increase to 40% by 2030. The shortest pipeline routes from Yamal to the northern EU countries are the Yamal–Europe pipeline through Poland and Nord Stream 1 to Germany. The proposed gas route from Western Siberia to China is known as Power of Siberia 2 pipeline.

United States sanctions beginning September 2019
Following the 14 September 2019 attack by Houthi movement on Saudi Arabian oil fields at Khurais and Abqaiq (Biqayq in Arabic) during the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis, the United States imposed sanctions under Executive Order 13846 against several international companies, including Cosco Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Seaman and Ship Management Company Ltd and the Cosco Shipping Tanker Dalian (大連中遠海運油品運輸有限公司). Both of these are Cosco Shipping Company subsidiaries that support LNG shipments from Sabetta.

Ships operated by these companies and their partnerships are directly affected by the sanctions. As of late September 2019, China LNG Shipping Ltd (CLNG) – a joint venture between the Cosco Shipping Tanker Dalian company and the Canadian firm Teekay – operates six of Sabetta's LNG ice fleet of 15 ARC7 LNG tankers, including:
 * Eduard Toll («Эдуард Толль»)
 * Rudolf Samoilovich («Рудольф Самойлович»)
 * Nikolay Evgenov («Николай Евгенов»)
 * Vladimir Voronin («Владимир Воронин»)
 * Georgy Ushakov («Георгий Ушаков») (bound for Sabetta following sea trials)
 * Yakov Gakkel («Яков Гаккель») (currently undergoing sea trials in South Korea)

Also affected are five ARC7 tankers which supplied by Dynagas in a partnership between Sinotrans&CSC and CLNG, as well as three ARC7 tankers from a joint venture between the Cosco subsidiary Shanghai LNG and Japan's MOL (株式会社商船三井). While these ARC7 tankers are not directly sanctioned by the United States, US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) rules require caution to be exercised when dealing with these related companies. Of the fifteen ARC7 tankers operating out of Sabetta, only Sovcomflot's Christophe de Margerie is not affected by the sanctions.

Service for these ships was previously provided at Honningsvåg, Norway, but this will be phased out and future LNG tanker shipments in the Northern Sea Route are expected to occur between Murmansk and Kamchatka, remaining in Russia coastal waters. On 30 January 2020, the United States lifted sanctions on Cosco Shipping Tanker (Dalian) and its TC LNG.

Notable people

 * Anastasia Lapsui (b. 1944), Nenets film director, screenwriter, radio journalist

title: Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug


text:
Taymyr Autonomous Okrug

Taymyr Dolgano-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Таймы́рский Долга́но-Не́нецкий автоно́мный о́круг, Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky avtonomny okrug; Enets: Таймыр Оша-Дюрак район, Nenets: Таймыр Долганы-Ненэцие район) was a federal subject of Russia (an autonomous okrug of Krasnoyarsk Krai), the northernmost in Siberian Russia (and thus North Asia). It was named after the Taymyr Peninsula. It was also called Dolgan-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Долгано-Ненецкий автономный округ), by the name of the indigenous people Dolgans and Nenets.

With an area of 862,100 km2 (ranked 4th) and a population of 39,786 (2002 Census), the autonomous okrug was one of the least densely populated areas of Russia as of 2006. Dudinka, with more than half of Taymyr's inhabitants, was the administrative center.

Following a referendum on the issue held on April 17, 2005, Taymyr Dolgano-Nenets and Evenk Autonomous Okrugs were merged into Krasnoyarsk Krai effective January 1, 2007. Taymyr was given a special status within Krasnoyarsk Krai and incorporated as Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District.

Administrative divisions

The city of Norilsk, even though it is geographically located within Taymyr Autonomous Okrug, was administratively subordinated directly to Krasnoyarsk Krai prior to the merger. This also applied to the urban-type settlement of Snezhnogorsk, which was administratively subordinated to Norilsk. Therefore, the okrug's population reported by the Census authorities does not include the populations of Norilsk and Snezhnogorsk.

In popular culture
Although not actually having been filmed in Taymyr, it is depicted in the 1985 film White Nights, starring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines. During the opening moments of the film, Baryshnikov's character Nikolai Rodchenko – a Soviet defector – is on a passenger plane that crash lands at "Norilsk Air Base". He later is taken into the home of Hines' character – a US defector – and his wife (played by Isabella Rossellini), where they advise him that he is in Taymyr upon regaining consciousness.

Taymyr is featured in the 2020 simulation video game SnowRunner as the third playable region of the game.

Population
(2002): 39,786.

Vital statistics

 * Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service

Ethnic groups
Of the 39,786 residents (as of the 2002 census) 1,018 (2.6%) chose not to specify their ethnic background. A quarter of the population identified themselves as indigenous Siberians (Dolgans, Nenets, Nganasans, Evenks, or Enets). 58.6% of the population were ethnic Russians. Other nationalities included 2,423 Ukrainians (6.1%), 587 Volga Germans (1.5%), 425 Volga Tatars (1.1%), 294 Belarusians (0.7%) and 239 Azeris (0.6%)

title: Taymyr Autonomous Okrug


text:
Tetrachromacy

Tetrachromacy (from Greek tetra, meaning "four" and chroma, meaning "color") is the condition of possessing four independent channels for conveying color information, or possessing four types of cone cell in the eye. Organisms with tetrachromacy are called tetrachromats.

In tetrachromatic organisms, the sensory color space is four-dimensional, meaning that matching the sensory effect of arbitrarily chosen spectra of light within their visible spectrum requires mixtures of at least four primary colors.

Tetrachromacy is demonstrated among several species of birds, fishes, and reptiles. The common ancestor of all vertebrates was a tetrachromat, but a common ancestor of mammals lost two of its four kinds of cone cell, evolving dichromacy, a loss ascribed to the conjectured nocturnal bottleneck. Some primates then later evolved a third cone.

Physiology
The normal explanation of tetrachromacy is that the organism's retina contains four types of higher-intensity light receptors (called cone cells in vertebrates as opposed to rod cells, which are lower-intensity light receptors) with different spectral sensitivity. This means that the organism may see wavelengths beyond those of a typical human's vision, and may be able to distinguish between colors that, to a normal human, appear to be identical. Species with tetrachromatic color vision may have an unknown physiological advantage over rival species.

Humans
Apes (including humans) and Old World monkeys normally have three types of cone cell and are therefore trichromats. However, human tetrachromacy is suspected to exist in a small percentage of the population. Trichromats have three types of cone cells, each type being sensitive to a corresponding portion of the spectrum as shown in the diagram. But at least one woman has been implied to be a tetrachromat. More precisely, she had an additional cone type L', intermediate between M and L in its responsivity, and showed 3-dimensional (M, L' and L components) color discrimination for wavelengths 546-670nm (to which the fourth type S is insensitive).

Tetrachromacy requires that there be four independent photoreceptor cell classes with different spectral sensitivity. However, there must also be the appropriate post-receptoral mechanism to compare the signals from the four classes of receptors. According to the opponent process theory, humans have three opponent channels, which grant trichromacy. Whether a fourth opponent channel is available to facilitate tetrachromacy is unclear.

Mice, which normally have only two cone pigments (and therefore two opponent channels), have been engineered to express a third cone pigment, and appear to demonstrate increased chromatic discrimination, possibly indicating trichromacy and suggesting they were able to create or re-enable a third opponent channel. This would support the theory that humans should be able to utilize a fourth opponent channel for tetrachromatic vision. However, the original publication's claims about plasticity in the optic nerve have also been disputed.

Tetrachromacy in carriers of CVD
It has been theorized that females who carry recessive opsin alleles that can cause color vision deficiency (CVD) could possess tetrachromacy. Female carriers of anomalous trichromacy (mild color blindness) possess heterozygous alleles of the genes that encode the L-opsin or M-opsin. These alleles often have a different spectral sensitivity, so if the carrier expresses both opsin alleles, they may exhibit tetrachromacy.

In humans, two cone cell pigment genes are present on the X chromosome: the classical type 2 opsin gene OPN1MW and OPN1MW2. People with two X chromosomes could possess multiple cone cell pigments, perhaps born as full tetrachromats who have four simultaneously-functioning kinds of cone cell, each type with a specific pattern of responsiveness to different wavelengths of light in the range of the visible spectrum. One study suggested that 15% of the world's women might have the type of fourth cone whose sensitivity peak is between the standard red and green cones, giving, theoretically, a significant increase in color differentiation. Another study suggests that as many as 50% of women and 8% of men may have four photopigments and corresponding increased chromatic discrimination compared to trichromats. In 2010, after twenty years' study of women with four types of cones (non-functional tetrachromats), neuroscientist Gabriele Jordan identified a woman (subject cDa29) who could detect a greater variety of colors than trichromats could, corresponding with a functional or "true" tetrachromat. Specifically, she has been shown to be a trichromat in the range 546-670nm where people with normal vision are essentially dichromats due to negligeable response of S-cones to those wavelengths. Thus, if S-cones of cDa29 provide independent color perception dimension as they normally do, that would confirm her being a tetrachomat when the whole spectrum is considered.

Variation in cone pigment genes is widespread in most human populations, but the most prevalent and pronounced tetrachromacy would derive from female carriers of major red/green pigment anomalies, usually classed as forms of "color blindness" (protanomaly or deuteranomaly). The biological basis for this phenomenon is X-inactivation of heterozygotic alleles for retinal pigment genes, which is the same mechanism that gives the majority of female New World monkeys trichromatic vision.

In humans, preliminary visual processing occurs in the neurons of the retina. It is not known how these nerves would respond to a new color channel, that is, whether they could handle it separately or just combine it in with an existing channel. Similarly, visual information leaves the eye by way of the optic nerve, and a variety of final image processing takes place in the brain; it is not known whether the optic nerve or the areas of the brain have the spare capacity to handle or respond if presented with a new color channel.

Tetrachromacy may also enhance vision in dim lighting, or in looking at a screen.

Conditional tetrachromacy
Despite being trichromats, humans can experience slight tetrachromacy at low light intensities, using their mesopic vision. In mesopic vision, both cone cells and rod cells are active. While rods typically do not contribute to color vision, they may, in these specific light conditions, give a small region of tetrachromacy in the color space. Human rod cell sensitivity is greatest at 500 nm (bluish-green) wavelength, which is significantly different from the peak spectral sensitivity of the cones (typically 420, 530 and 560 nm).

Blocked tetrachromacy
Although many birds are tetrachromats with a fourth color in the ultraviolet, humans cannot see ultraviolet light directly because the lens of the eye blocks most light in the wavelength range of 300–400 nm; shorter wavelengths are blocked by the cornea. The photoreceptor cells of the retina are sensitive to near ultraviolet light, and people lacking a lens (a condition known as aphakia) see near ultraviolet light (down to 300 nm) as whitish blue, or for some wavelengths, whitish violet, probably because all three types of cones are roughly equally sensitive to ultraviolet light (with blue cone cells slightly more sensitive).

While an extended visible range does not denote tetrachromacy, some believe that visual pigments are available with sensitivity in near-UV wavelengths that would enable tetrachromacy in the case of aphakia. However, there is no peer-reviewed evidence supporting this claim.

Fish
Fish, specifically teleosts, are typically tetrachromats. Exceptions include:
 * Sharks and rays – range from monochromacy to trichromacy
 * Deep-sea fish – often rod monochromats
 * Cichlid – arguably pentachromacy or higher

Birds
Some species of birds, such as the zebra finch and the Columbidae, use the ultraviolet wavelength 300–400 nm specific to tetrachromatic color vision as a tool during mate selection and foraging. When selecting for mates, ultraviolet plumage and skin coloration show a high level of selection. A typical bird eye responds to wavelengths from about 300 to 700 nm. In terms of frequency, this corresponds to a band in the vicinity of 430–1000 THz. Most birds have retinas with four spectral types of cone cell that are believed to mediate tetrachromatic color vision. Bird color vision is further improved by filtering by pigmented oil droplets in the photoreceptors. The oil droplets filter incident light before it reaches the visual pigment in the outer segments of the photoreceptors.

The four cone types, and the specialization of pigmented oil droplets, give birds better color vision than that of humans. However, more recent research has suggested that tetrachromacy in birds only provides birds with a larger visual spectrum than that in humans (humans cannot see ultraviolet light, 300-400 nm), while the spectral resolution (the "sensitivity" to nuances) is similar.

Many diurnal birds of prey such as eagles, falcons and hawks have limited ability to perceive ultraviolet light, as this contributes heavily to chromatic aberration which reduces visual acuity.

Pentachromacy and greater
The dimensionality of color vision has no upper bound, but vertebrates with color vision greater than tetrachromacy are rare. The next level is pentachromacy, which is five-dimensional color vision requiring at least 5 different classes of photoreceptor as well as 5 independent channels of color information through the primary visual system.

A female that is heterozygous for both the LWS and MWS opsins (and therefore a carrier for both protanomaly and deuteranomaly) would express five opsins of different spectral sensitivity. However, for her to be a true (strong) pentachromat, these opsins would need to be segregated into different photoreceptor cells and she would need to have the appropriate post-receptoral mechanisms to handle 5 opponent process channels, which is contentious.

Some birds (notably pigeons) have five or more kinds of color receptors in their retinae, and are therefore believed to be pentachromats, though psychophysical evidence of functional pentachromacy is lacking. Research also indicates that some lampreys, members of the Petromyzontiformes, may be pentachromats.

Invertebrates can have large numbers of different opsin classes, including 15 opsins in bluebottle butterflies or 33 in mantis shrimp. However, it has not been shown that color vision in these invertebrates is of a dimension commensurate with the number of opsins.

title: Tetrachromacy


text:
U.S. Agency for Global Media

The United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), known until 2018 as the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), is an independent agency of the United States government that broadcasts news and information. It is considered an arm of U.S. diplomacy.

The USAGM supervises Voice of America (VOA) and Office of Cuba Broadcasting as well as state-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks and Open Technology Fund.

Early years
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) was formed in 1994 with the passing of the International Broadcasting Act. The act established a bipartisan board that consisted of nine voting members, eight of whom were to be appointed by the president for a three–year term. The ninth was the secretary of state, also a political appointee, who would serve as an ex officio board member for the duration of their term as secretary. At this point, BBG was considered a part of the U.S. Information Agency.

The first voting members of the BBG, confirmed on August 11, 1995, were David W. Burke, Ted Kaufman, Tom C. Korologos, Bette Bao Lord, Alberto J. Mora, Cheryl Halpern, Marc Nathanson, and Carl Spielvogel.

On October 1, 1999, the BBG was established as an independent agency by the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998.

The Agency has five broadcasting entities that were established from 1942 - 2004. The Voice of America (VOA) has been in operation since World War II. William Harlan Hale, a journalist and writer, began the VOA's first radio show by saying "We bring you voices from America. Today, and daily from now on, we shall speak to you about America and the War. The news may be good for us. The news may be bad. But we shall tell you the truth."

Then, in 1950, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) went on the air. The Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) was started in 1985. Radio Free Asia (RFA) was founded in 1996.

2000-present
In 2002, BBG launched Radio Sawa, a 24/7 Arabic language radio network that broadcasts news and a mix of Western and Arabic music in the Middle East.

In 2004, Alhurra TV was created as a televised sister network to Radio Sawa and began broadcasting throughout the Middle East. Since its founding, it has established programs such as Al Youm (Today in English), a daily three-hour news program broadcast from five countries on three different continents; and Musawat (Equality in English), a program that focuses on women's issues and rights in the Arab world.

To oversee Arabic broadcasts, the Middle East Broadcasting Network, Inc (MBN) was initiated in 2005.

Other networks were also expanded under the BBG. Voice of America worked with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to launch Radio Farda, a Persian-language radio program targeting youth. In 2006, VOA initiated TV Ashna, a one-hour televised news broadcast, and Radio Deewa, a daily radio program of sports, music, and local and international news.

In a January 2015 interview with The New York Times, the then newly appointed CEO of the BBG, Andrew Lack, said "We are facing a number of challenges from entities like Russia Today which is out there pushing a point of view, the Islamic State in the Middle East and groups like Boko Haram. But I firmly believe that this agency has a role to play in facing those challenges."

The board of USAGM has an advisory role. It previously supervised USAGM media networks directly, but was replaced with a single appointed chief executive officer (CEO) as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, passed in December 2016.

In 2018, the BBG changed its name to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). The name change was initiated to help constituents better understand what USAGM does.

The Open Technology Fund (OTF), launched in 2019, works to advance internet freedom, so USAGM journalists and audiences can have uncensored internet access. Over 2 billion people worldwide use OTF daily.

State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki clarified Lack's statement in her January 23 press briefing, saying "would the U.S. Government put those three in the same category? No, we wouldn't. However, there are concerns...that Russia's own independent media space is shrinking and the Kremlin continues to apply pressure on the few remaining outlets."

On January 19, 2021, the nonprofit Government Accountability Project, representing fired USAGM employees and whistleblowers, sent a letter to the congressional foreign affairs committees, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, and the Inspector General of the US Department of State. The letter said that Pack had hired the McGuireWoods law firm to investigate USAGM employees and the OTF at a cost of over $2 million in the last quarter of 2020, bypassing US government investigators including USAGM's own Office of Human Resources, and called for further investigation of what it termed a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars. The Washington Post later reported that a second law firm, Caplin & Drysdale, had also been granted a similar no-bid contract in possible violation of federal contracting regulations for a total cost of $4 million.

On January 20, 2021, journalist Kelu Chao was appointed acting CEO of the USAGM, replacing outgoing CEO Michael Pack.

In September 2022, Amanda Bennett, a journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, received bipartisan confirmation by the U.S. Senate to become CEO. Bennett was sworn in as CEO on December 6, 2022.

Organization
USAGM is led by a single chief executive officer appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Until 2016, it was headed by a bi-partisan board with nine members; eight were appointed by the president with Senate confirmation, and the ninth member ex officio was the Secretary of State. By law, no more than four members could be from the same political party, in an effort to limit partisanship. The president designated one member (other than the Secretary of State) to serve as Chairman. The Board served as a "firewall" against political interference in the journalistic product.

Upon the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 on December 23, 2016 the agency was placed under the direction of a single CEO. The board, officially renamed as the International Broadcasting Advisory Board, was reduced to five members appointed by the president to serve in an advisory role. Previously appointed board members in excess of five could continue to serve, but would not be replaced when their term expired. Under the 2016 reform legislation, any new agency CEO is to be nominated by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate with authority to select key agency personnel. Former USAGM CEO John F. Lansing, who had been selected and approved in 2015 by the BBG Board holding a Democratic majority during the Obama administration, was not nominated by President Obama nor confirmed by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, as this was not required under previous legislation.

In June 2018, President Trump announced his intention to nominate documentary film producer Michael Pack to head the agency. He was confirmed by the Senate two years later, and served from June 5, 2020 until January 20, 2021, when he was asked to resign at the request of newly-inaugurated President Joe Biden. President Biden then appointed Kelu Chao as acting USAGM CEO.

President Biden then nominated Amanda Bennett for CEO. She received bipartisan confirmation from the U.S. Senate in September 2022 and was sworn into the position in December 2022.

Past members of the board have included:

In October 2021, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report about USAGM's organization.
 * Norman J. Pattiz (May 2000 – March 2006)
 * David W. Burke (August 1995 – 2002)
 * Ted Kaufman (August 1995 – December 2008)
 * Kenneth Y. Tomlinson (August 2002 –)
 * Walter Isaacson (July 2010 – January 2012)
 * Dana Perino (July 2010 – December 2012)
 * Victor Ashe (June 2010 – 2013)
 * Michael Lynton (July 2010 – May 2013)
 * Susan McCue (July 2010 – May 2014)

Outlets

 * Voice of America
 * Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
 * Current Time TV
 * Radio Free Asia
 * Middle East Broadcasting Networks
 * Alhurra
 * Radio Sawa
 * Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio y Televisión Martí)

Funding
As a federal agency, USAGM's budget request is part of the president's budget request to Congress.

During the federal funding dispute for the fiscal year 2011, President Barack Obama sided with the BBG agreeing to language that the organization would "expand unrestricted access to information on the Internet." The BBG received $10 million from Congress for the purpose of fighting Internet censorship in China and other countries.

The agency has $2 million earmarked to the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests through the Open Technology Fund. This funding was frozen in June 2020 as China was preparing to introduce a new national security law for Hong Kong.

President Biden's budget request for 2023 includes $840 million for USAGM, which the Agency says will enable them to continue their "vital mission to inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy." This is an increase of $29.6 million from the 2022 requested level.

Reception
In February 2010, BBG Executive Director Jeff Trimble collaborated with the National Security Council to publish a VOA statement about Iran's jamming of international satellites. In an email to Foreign Policy magazine, BBG's Public Affairs Director responded to the controversy, stating "the BBG 'firewall' served to protect the integrity and credibility of our journalistic products. An official policy statement by a senior management official of the agency is not a journalistic product."

Later that year, Senator Tom Coburn held up the Obama administration's appointments of Michael P. Meehan and Dana Perino to the board, with the aim of drawing attention to the organization's perceived ineffectiveness, stating in an interview with Foreign Policy magazine: "The BBG is the most worthless organization in the federal government. It's full of people who know nothing about media or foreign policy." Senator Jim DeMint also attempted to use the nominations to force a hearing on the BBG after frustrations with a perceived lack of congressional oversight over the organization. Coburn had written an open letter to then–Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in August 2010 citing "longstanding concerns regarding transparency and effectiveness of our taxpayer funded international broadcasting agencies under the purview of the Broadcasting Board of Governors." Though a report on BBG was eventually given to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Coburn was ultimately unsuccessful in trying to block the appointments to the board.

In July 2016, the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Jeff Shell, was denied entry into Russia. Matt Novak, writing for the tech website Gizmodo, referred to the BBG as the "propaganda arm" of the U.S. government and speculated that its alleged role in spreading propaganda on behalf of the U.S. government was the reason Shell was denied entry to Russia.

In 2018, The New York Times reported that the Agency had targeted Americans with Facebook ads for one of its outlets, which would violate the Smith–Mundt Act, a law "to protect Americans from domestic propaganda".

In 2023 during the Twitter-labeling state media scandal, NPR noted that because Voice of America had hard-won editorial independence from the government that the attempt to label its posts as government-funded was misleading.

title: U.S. Agency for Global Media


text:
Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug

Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug (Усть-Орды́нский Буря́тский о́круг; Усть-Ордын (Усть-Ордагай) Буряадай тойрог Ust’-Ordyn (Ust’-Ordagay) Buryaaday toyrog), or Ust-Orda Buryatia, is an administrative division of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. It was a federal subject of Russia (an autonomous okrug of Irkutsk Oblast) from 1993 to January 1, 2008, when it merged with Irkutsk Oblast. It also had autonomous okrug status from September 26, 1937 to 1993. Prior to the merger, it was called Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug (Усть-Орды́нский Буря́тский автоно́мный о́круг). It is one of the two Buryat okrugs in Russia, the other one is Agin-Buryat Okrug in Zabaykalsky Krai.

It has an area of 22138.1 km2. Population:

The settlement of Ust-Ordynsky is the autonomous okrug's administrative center and its most populous inhabited locality.

Merger
In a referendum held on April 16, 2006, the majority of residents in Irkutsk Oblast and Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug agreed to the unification of the two regions. According to regions' electoral commissions, 68.98% of residents of Irkutsk Oblast and 99.51% of residents in Ust-Orda Buryatia took part in the vote, making it one of the best attended plebiscites in the country since the 2003 Russian election. The merger was approved by an absolute majority of the electorate: by 89.77% in Irkutsk Oblast and by 97.79% in Ust-Orda Buryatia. The enlarged Irkutsk Oblast has officially come into existence on January 1, 2008.

Administrative divisions
The okrug is divided into six administrative districts:

 * Alarsky District
 * Bayandayevsky District
 * Bokhansky District
 * Ekhirit-Bulagatsky District
 * Nukutsky District
 * Osinsky District

Demographics

 * Population:

Vital statistics

 * Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service

Ethnic groups
Of the 135,327 residents (as of the 2002 Census), 38 (0.02%) chose not to specify their ethnic background. Of the rest, residents identified themselves as belonging to 74 ethnic groups, including Russians (54.4%), Buryats (39.6%), Tatars (3%) and Ukrainians (0.96%)

title: Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug


text:
Agin-Buryat Okrug

Agin-Buryat Okrug (Аги́нский Буря́тский о́круг; Агын Буряадай тойрог, Agyn Buryaaday Toyrog), or Aga Buryatia, is an administrative division of Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia. It was a federal subject of Russia (an autonomous okrug of Chita Oblast) until it merged with Chita Oblast to form Zabaykalsky Krai on March 1, 2008. Prior to the merger, it was called Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug (Аги́нский Буря́тский автоно́мный о́круг). Its administrative center is the urban-type settlement of Aginskoye. It is one of the two Buryat okrugs in Russia, the other one is Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug of Irkutsk Oblast.
 * Area: 19312.3 km2
 * Population:

Vital statistics

 * Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service

Ethnic groups
While residents of the autonomous okrug (as of the 2020 census) identified themselves as belonging to 54 different ethnic groups, most of them consider themselves either Buryats (65.3%) or ethnic Russians (33.2%), the Tatars at 390 (0.5%) ending up as a distant third most numerous group in the region.

title: Agin-Buryat Okrug


text:
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OTHER INFORMATION Computer skills: PC, Word, Excel, Photoshop, Dreamweaver. I enjoy tennis, reading, jogging, swimming and traveling.

COUNTRIES VISITED France, Belgium, Spain.

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