text:
Francisco Balagtas

Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz (April 2, 1788 – February 20, 1862), commonly known as Francisco Balagtas and also as Francisco Baltazar, was a Filipino poet and litterateur of the Tagalog language during the Spanish rule of the Philippines. He is widely considered one of the greatest Filipino literary laureates for his impact on Filipino literature. The famous epic Florante at Laura is regarded as his defining work.

Balagtas adopted the legal surname Baltazar in fulfillment of the edict issued by Governor-General Narciso Claveria y Zaldua in 1849 that mandated the native population to adopt standard surnames. The name is commonly misspelled as Baltazar and sometimes misinterpreted as his pen name.

Early life
Francisco Balagtas was born in Barrio Panginay, Bigaa, Bulacan, as the youngest of the four children of Juan Balagtas, a blacksmith, and Juana de la Cruz. He studied in a parochial school in Bigaa and later in Manila. He later worked as a houseboy in Pondi, Manila.

Life as a poet
Balagtas learned to write poetry from José de la Cruz (Huseng Sisiw), one of the most famous poets of Tondo, in return for chicks. It was De la Cruz himself who personally challenged Balagtas to improve his writing. Balagtas swore he would overcome Huseng Sisiw as he would not ask for anything in return as a poet.

In 1835, Balagtas moved to Pandacan, Manila, where he met María Asunción Rivera, who would effectively serve as the muse for his future works. She is referenced in his work Florante at Laura as 'Selya' and 'MAR'.

Balagtas' affections for MAR were challenged by the influential Mariano Capule. The latter won the battle for MAR when he used his wealth to get Balagtas imprisoned. It was here that he wrote Florante at Laura—in fact, the events of this poem were meant to parallel his situation.

He wrote his poems in the Tagalog language, during an age when Filipino writing was predominantly written in Spanish.

Balagtas published Florante at Laura upon his release in 1838. He moved to Balanga, Bataan, in 1840 where he served as the assistant to the justice of the peace. He was also appointed as the translator of the court. He married Juana Tiambeng on July 22, 1842, in a ceremony officiated by Fr. Cayetano Arellano, uncle of the future chief justice to the Supreme Court of the Philippines Chief Justice Arellano. They had eleven children, but only four survived to adulthood. On November 21, 1849, Governor General Narciso Clavería y Zaldua issued a decree that every Filipino native had to adopt a surname. In 1856, he was appointed as the major lieutenant, but soon after was convicted and sent to prison again in Bataan under the accusation that he ordered Alferez Lucas' housemaid's head to be shaved.

He sold his land and all of his riches, for him to be put out of imprisonment in 1861. He then continued writing poetry, along with translating Spanish documents, but he died a year later—on February 20, 1862, at the age of 73. On his deathbed, he asked the favor that none of his children become poets like him, who had suffered under his gift as well as under others. He even went as far as to tell them it would be better to cut their hands off than let them be writers.

Balagtas is greatly idolized in the Philippines that the term for Filipino debate in extemporaneous verse is named after him: Balagtasan.

Legacy
An elementary school was erected in honor of Balagtas, the Francisco Balagtas Elementary School (FBES), located along Alvarez Street in Santa Cruz, Manila. There is also a plaza and park (Plaza Balagtas) erected in Pandacan, Manila, while most of the streets were named after various Florante at Laura characters in honor of Francisco Balagtas. His birthplace, Bigaa, Bulacan, was renamed to Balagtas, Bulacan, in his memory. A museum, historical marker, monument and elementary school has been placed in his birthplace at Panginay, Balagtas, Bulacan. The former Folk Arts Theater in Manila was renamed to Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas to honor Balagtas. Mercurian crater was also named after him. The barangay of Udyong in Orion, Bataan, was also renamed Balagtas.

The Philippines has released currency honoring Kiko Balagtas on the 10 centavo coin.

On April 2, 2018, Google honored Balagtas' 230th birthday celebration with a Google Doodle.

Sources of Balagtas' work
No original manuscript in Balagtas' handwriting of any of his works has survived to the present day. This is due mainly to two great fires that razed Udyong (now Balagtas in Orion, Bataan) and destroyed much of the poet's works. The most notable of his works, Florante at Laura or Pinagdaanang Buhay ni Florante at Laura sa Kaharian ng Albanya has been published in numerous editions from its original publication in 1838. The oldest extant edition of the Florante is believed to be the 1861 edition published in Manila, while a handwritten manuscript written down by Apolinario Mabini exists and is in the possession of the Philippine National Library.

The major source of the poet's life and works is from a 20th-century work entitled Kun Sino ang Kumatha nang "Florante" (He who wrote the "Florante") by Hermenegildo Cruz. The poet lists down Balagtas' works and recreates some of his plays based on scenes and lines memorized by the poet's children. The book also has an edition of the Florante. Balagtas wrote ten comedias and one metrical romance according to Cruz as well as numerous other poems and short plays that are recorded in his book. These include two laos or short celebratory scenes usually involving a patron saint and performed during fiestas.

Complete works
Only three of Balagtas' complete works have survived to this day. Of the three, Florante at Laura is considered Balagtas' defining work and is a cultural touchstone for the Philippines.
 * Florante at Laura or Pinagdaanang Buhay ni Florante at Laura sa Kaharian ng Albanya, an awit (metrical narrative poem with dodecasyllabic quatrains [12 syllables per line, 4 lines per stanza]); Balagtas' masterpiece
 * La India elegante y el negrito amante – a short play in one act
 * Orosman at Zafira – a comedy in three acts

Reconstructed/rediscovered works
Majority of the source material for Balagtas' work come from Hermenegildo Cruz' book which itself is based on the surviving testimonies and memories of Balagtas' children at the turn of the century. In his book, he reconstructs four plays.
 * Rodolfo at Rosemonda
 * Nudo gordeano
 * Abdol at Misereanan – a komedya, staged in Abucay, Bataan in 1859
 * Bayaceto at Dorslica – a komedya in three parts, staged at Udyong on September 27, 1857

Minor works
As a folk poet and employee of the courts, Balagtas' prowess in writing was mainly seen in the yearly fiestas held in nearby towns, a great majority of his plays may have been staged in outdoor theaters set up in town squares and as a poet, a number of his works and writings have been recorded in collections of poetry such as the Coleccion de refranes, frases y modismos tagalos (Guadalupe, 1890) as well as in the accounts of Spanish officials such as Martínez de Zúñiga who recorded traditional plays and religious events in Philippine fiestas.

Balagtas also wrote in the Ladino style of poems that were popular among his contemporaries. He is said to have written two loas recorded in Cruz's book as well as numerous Ladinos and didactic works.

Loas

 * In praise of the Archangel Michael a loa written for the patron saint of the town of Udyong.
 * In Celebration of the crowning of Queen Isabella II of the Bourbon Dynasty Celebrating the ascension of Isabella II to the Spanish throne

Minor poems
A number of Minor poems are recorded in Cruz's book.
 * "Pangaral sa Isang Binibining Ikakasal" (Admonition to a Young Lady About To Be Married) A didactic work.
 * "Paalam Na sa Iyo. . .!" (And So Farewell to You... !) A bilingual poem (Written in Spanish and Tagalog) written in Ladino style.

Lost works
Five of the ten plays Balagtas wrote as recorded by Cruz are considered lost. Another work—Claus (a translation work from Latin)—is considered lost for Cruz does not mention any fragments or elaborates on it in his book, Eufronio Alip's 1930 Tagalog literary history mentions the same book. Among his other lost works, one should consider plays and short poems written by Balagtas in his lifetime for fiestas and celebrations as well as to earn his living. Eufronio Alip, in his 1930 historical study on Tagalog literature, also provides an additional two titles of plays by Balagtas.
 * Don Nuño at Selinda o la desgracia del amor en la inocencia – a komedya in three parts
 * Auredato at Astrome – a komedya in three parts
 * Clara Belmore – a komedya in three parts
 * Alamansor at Rosalinda – a komedya staged at Udyong during the town's feast
 * Mahomet at Constanza
 * Claus (translated into Tagalog from Latin)
 * La Eleccion del Gobernadorcillo – a komedya in prose, in five parts
 * Mariang Makiling – a komedya in nine parts

title: Francisco Balagtas


text:
Julio Machado

Julio Segundo Machado Rondón (born December 1, 1965) is a Venezuelan former Major League Baseball (MLB) right-handed relief pitcher who played for the New York Mets (1989–90) and Milwaukee Brewers (1990–91). Machado's MLB career was cut short when he was imprisoned on involuntary murder charges in Venezuela. He later coached and played in Venezuelan winter baseball leagues.

MLB career
Machado started his career with the Mets. He made his MLB debut in 1989 and started the 1990 season with the Mets as well. He was demoted to the Class AAA Tidewater team, where he saved eight games before being recalled to the Mets in July. At the time, the Mets were looking for consistent right-handed relief pitchers, having traded Roger McDowell the previous year.

Later that season, Machado was traded to the Brewers, along with pitcher Kevin Brown, in exchange for catcher Charlie O'Brien and a minor league player.

Machado had a decent fastball, good control and willingness to challenge hitters. He also pitched a better-than-average curveball and a slider.

In a three-year career, Machado posted a 7–5 record with 151 strikeouts and a 3.12 ERA in 147 innings.

Shooting
Spending the 1991 offseason in his homeland, Machado fatally shot a woman following an auto accident on December 8. More than two weeks later, Machado was missing and the Brewers said that they were planning for 1992 with the assumption that Machado would not be on the team. Though he was described as a fugitive, Venezuelan reporters said that Machado would probably turn himself in after the holidays. He was held in a Caracas prison while an investigation was carried out from the middle of January to early March. He admitted that he fired the shots, but he said that he did so in self-defense, afraid that he was being robbed.

When Machado was granted conditional freedom pending a trial on charges of involuntary murder, he was not allowed to leave Venezuela. Shortly thereafter, thieves stole the car of the prosecutor in Machado's case and they set it on fire. Machado was convicted and, following appeals, he was sentenced to 12 years in 1996. He was released in 2000.

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

title: Julio Machado


text:
Municipalities of the canton of Lucerne

The following are the 80 municipalities of the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland.

List

 * Adligenswil
 * Aesch
 * Alberswil
 * Altbüron
 * Altishofen
 * Ballwil
 * Beromünster
 * Buchrain
 * Büron
 * Buttisholz
 * Dagmersellen
 * Dierikon
 * Doppleschwand
 * Ebikon
 * Egolzwil
 * Eich
 * Emmen
 * Entlebuch
 * Ermensee
 * Eschenbach
 * Escholzmatt-Marbach
 * Ettiswil
 * Fischbach
 * Flühli
 * Geuensee
 * Gisikon
 * Greppen
 * Grossdietwil
 * Grosswangen
 * Hasle
 * Hergiswil bei Willisau
 * Hildisrieden
 * Hitzkirch
 * Hochdorf
 * Hohenrain
 * Honau
 * Horw
 * Inwil
 * Knutwil
 * Kriens
 * Luthern
 * Luzern
 * Malters
 * Mauensee
 * Meggen
 * Meierskappel
 * Menznau
 * Nebikon
 * Neuenkirch
 * Nottwil
 * Oberkirch
 * Pfaffnau
 * Rain
 * Reiden
 * Rickenback
 * Roggliswil
 * Römerswil
 * Romoos
 * Root
 * Rothenburg
 * Ruswil
 * Schenkon
 * Schlierbach
 * Schongau
 * Schötz
 * Schüpfheim
 * Schwarzenberg
 * Sempach
 * Sursee
 * Triengen
 * Udligenswil
 * Ufhusen
 * Vitznau
 * Wauwil
 * Weggis
 * Werthenstein
 * Wikon
 * Willisau
 * Wolhusen
 * Zell

title: Municipalities of the canton of Lucerne


text: File:Oxygene album cover.jpg

title: File:Oxygene album cover.jpg


text:
Pont-à-Mousson

Pont-à-Mousson is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are known as Mussipontains in French. It is an industrial town (mainly steel industry), situated on the river Moselle. Pont-à-Mousson has several historical monuments, including the 18th century Premonstratensian abbey.

Demographics
In 2018, 14,434 people lived in the town, while its agglomeration had a population of 23,824.

Early Modern
In 1572 Cardinal Charles of Lorraine established a Jesuit university at Pont-à-Mousson. With the Protestant Revolution building in the German-speaking lands, still part of the Holy Roman Empire, directly to the east, and the Duchy of Lorraine vulnerable to pressure from an increasingly assertive French state directly to the west, the Duchy participated in the wars of religion on the side of the Counter-Reformation. The Tridentine strategy promulgated by the Holy See involved the creation of a "Roman Catholic backbone" (sometimes termed the Lotharingian axis from the territories, including Lorraine, between France and the Habsburg Empire).

During the seventeenth century the university of Pont-à-Mousson grew rapidly until there were about 2,000 students. There were four faculties covering theology, the arts, law and medicine. Students were drawn from across western and central Europe. Over time a rivalry grew up between students in the St Martin district, located on the right-bank of the river Moselle and dominated by Jesuits, and the left-bank students based in the St Laurent quarter and considered the rowdier of the two student tribes. Rivalry peaked with the violent "printers' battles" when the rival factions were known respectively as the "Ponti Mussoni" and the "Mussiponti". The "Mussiponti" won, and in the region the inhabitants of the town became known thereafter as "Mussipontains/Mussipontines".

18th and 19th centuries
The Duchy of Lorraine became French following the death in 1766 of Duke Stanisław Leszczyński, and in 1769 Louis XV had the Jesuit Academy transferred to Nancy. The only notable educational establishment remaining at Pont-à-Mousson was a military training school.

The town continued to flourish as a centre of the visual arts, however, rivalling Épinal to the south in this respect. A papier-mâché factory also contributed to the cultural development of Pont-à-Mousson.

It was the regional capital between 1790 and 1795, but underwent extensive destruction in the ensuing wars, and was subject to foreign occupation in 1814 and 1815. During the Franco-Prussian War it experienced severe street fighting.

The Pont-à-Mousson Company was created in 1856 by a group of Lorraine businessmen to operate the Marbache iron mine and to use the ore to manufacture cast iron. Xavier Rogé was the manager. In 1862 the enterprise was liquidated due to lack of sufficient capital to cover the high investment expenses. Rogé managed to raise capital in the Saarland and restart the business, selling most of its production to forges in the Ardennes and Champagne.

In 1866, Rogé visited England and became aware of the new and promising market for cast-iron water pipes. He focused the company on pipe production, and found a ready market when cities began to make large investment in water supply after 1871. He adopted the English method of casting pipes in vertical rather than horizontal moulds. He was succeeded by Camille Cavallier, who transformed the moderately sized cast iron pipe manufacturer into a giant, always concentrating on making pipes. Annual cast iron production rose from 80,000 to 183,000 tons between 1900 and 1913.

The company, later known as Saint-Gobain PAM is still producing ductile cast iron pipes and fittings for drinking water, irrigation and sewage applications. The plant of Pont-à-Mousson, having its 160th anniversary in 2016, is the largest employer in the city, with an average 1000 employees spread among two plants, a research center and the headquarters of the company.

20th century
Strategically positioned at an important river crossing, Pont-à-Mousson and the surrounding region saw terrible fighting during the twentieth century wars between France and Germany. In the World War I fighting at Bois-le-Prêtre, Croix des Carmes, and Grand-Couronné are names that recall savage fighting between French and German soldiers. The town suffered further destruction in 1944, before being liberated by the U.S. Third Army under the command of Lieutenant General George S. Patton, supported by an active local resistance movement.

In 1921 the President personally presented the town with the Croix de guerre, and shortly after this Désiré Ferry, the local deputy, was awarded the Légion d'honneur. After World War II, Pont-à-Mousson was again honoured, this time with the Croix de Guerre.

People
Pont-à-Mousson was the birthplace of:
 * Guarinus of Sitten (1065–1150), saint and bishop of Sion
 * Margaret of Anjou (1430–1482) married to Henry VI of England
 * John Barclay (1582—1621), Scottish satirist and Latin poet
 * Geraud Duroc (1772–1813), French general
 * Louis Camille Maillard (1878–1936), French physician and chemist
 * Émile Amann (1880–1948), French historian of religion
 * Pierre Lallement, inventor of the modern bicycle
 * Georges Navel (1904–1993), French writer, first winner of the Prix Sainte-Beuve in 1946
 * Jean Kuntzmann (1912–1992), mathematician

title: Pont-à-Mousson


text:
Municipalities of the canton of Jura

The following are the 50 municipalities of the canton of Jura, as of 2024.

List

 * Alle
 * Basse-Allaine
 * Basse-Vendline
 * Boécourt
 * Boncourt
 * Bourrignon
 * Bure
 * Châtillon (JU)
 * Clos du Doubs
 * Coeuve
 * Cornol
 * Courchapoix
 * Courchavon
 * Courgenay
 * Courrendlin
 * Courroux
 * Courtedoux
 * Courtételle
 * Damphreux-Lugnez
 * Delémont
 * Develier
 * Ederswiler
 * Fahy
 * Fontenais
 * Grandfontaine
 * Haute-Ajoie
 * Haute-Sorne
 * La Baroche
 * Lajoux (JU)
 * Le Bémont (JU)
 * Le Noirmont
 * Les Bois
 * Les Breuleux
 * Les Enfers
 * Les Genevez (JU)
 * Mervelier
 * Mettembert
 * Montfaucon
 * Movelier
 * Muriaux
 * Pleigne
 * Porrentruy
 * Rossemaison
 * Saignelégier
 * Saint-Brais
 * Saulcy
 * Soubey
 * Soyhières
 * Val Terbi
 * Vendlincourt

title: Municipalities of the canton of Jura