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Styrbjörn the Strong

Styrbjörn the Strong (Styrbjǫrn Sterki ; died about 985) according to late Norse sagas was a son of the Swedish king Olof, and a nephew of Olof's co-ruler and successor Eric the Victorious, who defeated and killed Styrbjörn at the Battle of Fyrisvellir. As with many figures in the sagas, doubts have been cast on his existence, but he is mentioned in a roughly contemporaneous skaldic poem about the battle. According to legend, his original name was Björn, and Styr-, which was added when he had grown up, was an epithet meaning that he was restless, controversially forceful and violent.

Prose retellings
It is believed that there once was a full saga about Styrbjörn, but most of what is extant is found in the short Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa. Parts of his story are also retold in Eyrbyggja saga, Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum (book 10), Knýtlinga saga and Hervarar saga. He is also mentioned in the Heimskringla (several times), and in Yngvars saga víðförla, where Ingvar the Far-Travelled is compared to his kinsman Styrbjörn. Oddr Snorrason also mentions him in Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar (around 1190), writing that Styrbjörn was defeated through magic. In modern days, he is also the hero of a novel called Styrbiorn the Strong by English author E. R. Eddison (1926), and he is featured in The Long Ships, by Frans G Bengtsson.

Contemporaneous poetry
The extant poetry on Styrbjörn is found in Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa, where the following lausavísa (about 985) mentions him:

 * The Jótar were not willing to pay tribute for ships before the beasts of Strǫnd [SHIPS] of Styrbjǫrn stood by the coast. Now the lord of Denmark [DANISH KING = Haraldr] has joined the troop of warriors; he lives oppressed by fate, deprived of lands and people.

The contemporary skald Þórvaldr Hjaltason also described the Battle of Fyrisvellir in the following pair of lausavísur, for which Eric rewarded him with two rings both worht a half mark, one for each stanza:

 * Guardian of the sun of battles [SWORD > WARRIOR], let every one of the horses of the evening-rider [TROLL-WOMAN > WOLVES] who is hungry go west to Fýrisvǫllr, to the enclosure of the stronghold. There Eiríkr has cut down the storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river [SHIP > SHIELD > BATTLE > WARRIORS] before wolves in the tumult of spears [BATTLE]; that is without exaggeration.

 * The vikings’ surge from their home to Sweden turned out afterwards [to be] disastrous for the wealth-demanders of the bed of fish of the mountains [SNAKES > GOLD > MEN]. Only that part of them survives, that ran away; they had the more numerous force; it was good to catch Hundingr’s army.

Hundmargs ("of a myriad") in the second verse has also been read as Hundings, referring to a chief of the Jomsvikings named Hunding, but there is no other record of such a historical figure, so the argument that this disproves Styrbjörn's historical existence has been generally set aside in favour of the evidence of the other contemporary poem.

Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa
Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa ('the tale of Styrbjörn the Swedish Champion'), preserved in the Flatey Book, is the source that contains the most material about Styrbjörn.

According to the tale, Styrbjörn, who was originally called Björn, was the son of Olof, a brother of King Eric, who died of poisoning when Björn was still a young boy. When he was 12 years old, he asked his uncle King Eric for his birthright, but was denied the co-rulership until he turned 16. One day he got into a fight with and killed a courtier, who had hit him on the nose with a drinking horn.

When he was 16, the Thing decided that he was not fit to be king, and instead appointed a man of low birth. His uncle Eric did not want him to stay at home, because of his violent nature and the complaints from the free farmers, so he gave Björn 60 well equipped longships, whereupon the frustrated boy took his sister Gyrid and left. Eric also called him "Styrbjörn", adding Styr- because of his nephew's unruly and quarrelsome nature.

He ravaged the shores of the Baltic Sea and when he was twenty, took the stronghold of Jomsborg from its founder Palnetoke and became the ruler of the Jomsvikings. After some time he allied himself with the Danish king Harald Bluetooth and had his sister Gyrid married to him. Styrbjörn married Harald's daughter Tyra Haraldsdotter whom he was given by Harald for conquering Jomsborg.

Harald gave him even more warriors and now Styrbjörn set about trying to take the throne of Sweden. He sailed with a huge force which included 200 Danish longships in addition to his own Jomsvikings. When they arrived at Föret (Old Norse Fyris) in Uppland, he burnt the ships in order to force his men to fight to the end. However, the Danish force changed its mind and returned to Denmark. Styrbjörn marched alone with his Jomsvikings to Gamla Uppsala. His uncle, however, was prepared and had sent for reinforcements from all directions.

During the first two days, the battle was even. The latter evening, Eric went to the statue of Odin at the Temple at Uppsala, where he made a sacrifice. He promised Odin that if he won the battle, he would belong to Odin and arrive at Valhalla ten years from then. The next day, Eric threw his spear over the enemy and said, "I sacrifice you all to Odin". Styrbjörn and his sworn men stayed and died.

Eyrbyggja saga
The Eyrbyggja saga has a short summary of Styrbjörn's career in connection with one of its protagonists: But when Biorn came out over the sea, he went south to Denmark, and then south further to Jomsburg, and in those days was Palnatoki captain of the Jomsburg Vikings. Biorn entered into covenant with them, and was called a champion there. He was in Jomsburg when Styrbiorn the Strong won it, and he went to Sweden when they of Jomsburg gave aid to Styrbiorn, and was withal at the battle at Fyrisfield where Styrbiorn fell, and fled thence to the woods with the other Jomsburg Vikings. And while Palnatoki was alive was Biorn with him, and was deemed the best of men and the bravest in all deeds that try a man.

Hervarar saga
The Hervarar saga  gives an even shorter summary of Styrbjörn's story and his battle with his uncle Eric: Olaf was the father of Styrbjörn the Strong. In their days King Harold the Fair-haired died. Styrbjörn fought against King Eric his father's brother at Fyrisvellir, and there Styrbjörn fell. Then Eric ruled Sweden till the day of his death.

Knýtlinga saga
The Knýtlinga saga recounts that Styrbjörn was the son of the Swedish king Olaf. When Harald Bluetooth ruled Denmark, Styrbjörn was making war in the east (í hernaði í Austrveg) and then came to Denmark where he took Harald captive. Harald gave his daughter Tyra to Styrbjörn and joined him on his expedition to Sweden. On arrival, Styrbjörn set his own ships on fire, but when Harald saw that Styrbjörn no longer had any ships he sailed back out onto Lake Mälaren (Löginn) and returned to Denmark. Styrbjörn fought his uncle Eric on the Fyrisvellir and he fell together with most of his men. Some of his men fled and this the Swedes called the Fyriselta, the chase of the Fyris.

Gesta Danorum
The Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus tells a more pro-Danish version in Gesta Danorum (Book 10). According to him, Styrbjörn was the son of the Swedish king Björn. Styrbjörn had an uncle named Olaf, whose son Eric had taken the Swedish kingdom from Styrbjörn. Styrbjörn came to Harald Bluetooth, bringing his sister Gyrithe with him, and humbly asked Harald for help. Harald decided to befriend Styrbjörn and Harald offered his sister Gyrithe to be Stybjörn's wife. Harald then conquered the land of the Slavs and took the stronghold Julin (Jomsborg), which he gave to Styrbjörn to command with a strong force. Styrbjörn and his force (the Jomsvikings) dominated the seas, winning many victories, and they were more beneficial to Denmark than any force on land would have been. Among the warriors were Bue, Ulf, Karlsevne and Sigvald.

Styrbjörn wanted revenge and asked Harald for help to take the throne of Sweden. Harald wanted to help Styrbjörn and to this end he sailed to Halland, but was informed that the German emperor Otto had attacked Jutland, and Harald was more eager to defend his own country than to attack another one. When Harald had driven away the Germans, Styrbjörn had already rashly departed with his own force for Sweden, where he fell.

Alleged descendants
In the 18th century, Danish historian Jacob Langebek proposed that Styrbjörn and Tyra were the parents of Thorkel Sprakalegg, who was father of Ulf the Earl and of Gytha Thorkelsdóttir, wife of Godwin, Earl of Wessex, and thus grandfather of kings Sweyn II of Denmark and Harold Godwinson of England. The earliest known source which says anything about the father of Thorkell Sprakalegg was the chronicle of John of Worcester, who says that 'Spraclingus' was son of 'Urso', (Latin for bear) which would be Bjorn. Both Saxo Grammaticus and Gesta Antecessorum Comitis Gualdevi derive Thorkel from the mating of a bear with a noblewoman, Saxo relating that they produced a son named for his father (i.e. named Bjorn), who was in turn father of 'Thrugillus, called Sprageleg', while the Gesta tells a similar story but turns the Urso, father of 'Spratlingus' (sic) in John of Worcester's pedigree into the actual bear involved. Langebek suggested that Saxo's tale of a 'Wild' Björn, father of Thorkel, was an allegorical reference to Styrbjörn. Otto Brenner, in his accounting of the descendants of Gorm the Old, rejects Thorkill as son of Styrbjörn and Thyra.

title: Styrbjörn the Strong


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HP-32S

The HP-32S (codenamed "Leonardo") was a programmable RPN scientific calculator introduced by Hewlett-Packard in 1988. It was succeeded by the HP-32SII scientific calculator.

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

title: HP-32S


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Ashford Town (Middlesex) F.C.

Ashford Town (Middlesex) Football Club are a football club based in Stanwell, Surrey, England. The club are currently members of the and play at the Robert Parker Stadium in Short Lane. They are affiliated to both the Middlesex FA and the Surrey FA.

History
The club was established in 1958 as Ashford Albion and joined Division Two of the Hounslow & District League. They finished second in their first season, earning promotion to Division One. They finished as runners-up again the following season, and were promoted to the Premier Division, adopting their current name in 1964. However, the club pulled out the Premier Division during the 1964–65 season, resulting in their record being expunged. The following season the first team took over from the reserves in Division Two.

The club finished third in Division Two in 1965–66, resulting in promotion to Division One. After finishing as runners-up in Division One the following season, the club joined the Premier Division B of the Surrey Intermediate League (Western) for the 1967–68 season. They finished fourth in their first season, earning promotion to Premier Division A. After claiming the runners-up spot in 1972–73, they won the division in 1974–75.

Ashford became founder members of the Surrey Premier League in 1982. In 1989–90 they were league runners-up and won the Surrey Premier Cup, beating Farnham Town Reserves 3–0 in the final. In 1990 they were formally renamed Ashford Town (Middlesex) to avoid confusion with the Kent club which previously shared the same name, but are now named Ashford United. In the same year they joined the Combined Counties League. They finished as runners-up in 1993–94, and won the league the following season. They went on to win the league in each of the next three seasons, and again in 1999–2000 (a season in which they also won the Middlesex Senior Charity Cup), after which they were promoted to Division Three of the Isthmian League.

After finishing third in their first season in Division Three, they were promoted to Division Two. In 2002, they were moved to Division One South as a result of league reorganisation and, in 2004, switched to the Western Division of the Southern League. In 2005–06, they finished second in the division, and were promoted, being placed in the Isthmian League Premier Division. In 2006–07 they won the Isthmian League Cup and, in 2008–09, the Surrey Senior Cup. At the end of the 2009–10 season, the club were relegated and placed in Division One Central of the Southern League; although they were offered a late reprieve from relegation after Merthyr Tydfil were liquidated, the club declined to take it and started the 2010–1 season in Division One Central.

In 2011–12 the club won both the Middlesex Senior Charity Cup (beating Northwood on penalties after a 4–4 draw) and the Aldershot Senior Cup (defeating Badshot Lea 3–1 in the final). The 2013–14 saw the club finish bottom of Division One Central, resulting in relegation back to the Combined Counties League. After finishing third in the Premier Division in their first season back in the league, they were runners-up in 2015–16 and were promoted back to Division One Central of the Southern League. The following season saw the club win the Middlesex Senior Charity Cup for the third time, beating Wealdstone 2–1 in the final. At the end of the 2017–18 season they were transferred to the South Central Division of the Isthmian League.

Ground
Ashford Town have played home games at Short Lane in Stanwell since 1986. The ground has a capacity of 2,550, of which 250 is seated and covered. The ground was renamed the Robert Parker Stadium in 2010 in honour of Bob Parker, who had served as chairman for 28 years.

Honours

 * Isthmian League
 * League Cup winners 2006–07
 * Combined Counties League
 * Champions 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1999–2000
 * League Cup Winners 1998–99
 * Surrey Intermediate League (Western)
 * Premier Division A Champions 1974–75
 * Surrey Senior Cup
 * Winners 2008–09
 * Surrey Premier Cup
 * Winners 1989–90
 * Middlesex Senior Charity Cup
 * Winners 1999–2000, 2011–12, 2016–17
 * Aldershot Senior Cup Final
 * Winners 2002–03, 2011–12
 * Southern Combination Cup
 * Winners 1995–96, 2010–11, 2021–22

Records

 * Record attendance: 992 vs AFC Wimbledon, Isthmian League Premier Division, 26 September 2006
 * Most goals: Andy Smith

title: Ashford Town (Middlesex) F.C.


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Fairfax Financial

Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited is a Canadian financial holding company based in Toronto, Ontario, engaged in property, casualty, insurance and reinsurance, investment management, and insurance claims management. The company operates primarily through several subsidiaries, including Allied World, Odyssey Re, Northbridge Financial, Crum & Forster, Verassure Insurance, Onlia Agency Inc., and Zenith Insurance Company. The company was also the largest shareholder of Torstar with 40% of the Class B shares, as of May 2020.

Fairfax is led by chairman and CEO Prem Watsa, who controls nearly half of the firm.

Market
Fairfax was incorporated as Markel Service of Canada on March 13, 1951, and continued under the Canada Business Corporations Act in 1976. The name was subsequently changed to Markel Financial Holdings Ltd.

In 1984, Prem Watsa left GW Asset Management to found his own asset management firm, Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel Ltd. together with his former boss from Confed, Tony Hamblin. Tony was the Chief Investment Officer at Confed. The five founding partners were: Tony Hamblin, Prem Watsa, Roger Lace, Brian Bradstreet and Frances Burke.

In 1985, Watsa took control of Markel Financial, a Canadian-based specialist in trucking insurance. The company was controlled by the Virginia-based Markel family.

Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited
In May 1987, Watsa re-organized Markel Financial Holdings Limited and renamed it Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (FAIRFAX: short for "fair, friendly acquisitions").

From 1985 to the end of 2010, the firm had a compound growth rate of approximately 25% in book value per share (per year), it is about 243 times what Fairfax began with in 1985.

Prem Watsa has served as chairman and chief executive officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited since 1985 and as vice president of Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel since 1985. Watsa, directly, and indirectly through 1109519 Ontario Limited, The Sixty Two Investment Company Limited and 810679 Ontario Ltd., owns the controlling equity voting interest of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited ("Fairfax"). He owns roughly 10% of Fairfax, which accounts for 99% of his personal wealth. His 10-for-1 multiple voting shares give him just over 50% ownership.

Subprime mortgage bubble
As early as the 2003, in an annual report issued by the company, chief executive Prem Watsa raised concerns about securitized products and talks about the subprime mortgage crisis and the United States housing bubble.

In an interview in The Globe and Mail in 2007, Watsa said believed that the global credit squeeze is in its "early days", and indicated he believed there may be similarities to the Japanese asset price bubble.

The investment team of HWIC benefited from the subprime fallout, like John Paulson's New York-based Paulson & Co., Kyle Bass' Hayman Capital, Andrew Lahde's California-based Lahde Capital, Julian Robertson's "Tiger Cubs" (formerly known as "Tiger Management Corp."), and Michael Burry's Scion Capital (White Mountains Insurance Group is a minority investor in Scion Capital LLC), they have used derivatives to bet on the housing bubble. As of September 30, 2007, Fairfax and its subsidiaries owned an enormous credit default swap (CDS) book with a $18.5 billion notional amount and an average term to expiry of 4.2 years, on about 25 to 30 companies, the majority of which were bond insurers and mortgage lenders. The CDS book had a cost of $344 million, and a market value of $546 million. The market value of these swaps had fluctuated significantly in the 3rd quarter of 2007 from less than $200 million at the end of June, to $537 million at the end of July to almost $1 billion (twice that value) in August to $544 million at the end of September.

Recent years
As of December 31, 2010, Fairfax had total assets of approximately $31.7 billion, and its revenue for the prior twelve months was approximately $6.2 billion. Since Watsa took over, the company book value per share has compounded by 23% per year, while the common stock price has followed the growth at 19% per year.

On September 23, 2013, Fairfax made an offer to purchase cell phone maker BlackBerry for $4.7 billion or $9.00 a share. BlackBerry announced it had signed a letter of intent but would be open to other offers until November 4, 2013. Fairfax already held 10% of BlackBerry. The deal was later scrapped in favor of a US$1 billion cash injection which, according to one analyst, represented the level of confidence BlackBerry's largest shareholder had in the company.

In 2016, Fairfax offered seed funding to Kitchener startup, DOZR Inc. through their investment and innovation unit, Fair Ventures. Fair Ventures and Fairfax went on to support DOZR through multiple funding pitches, including the Colorado-based BaseCamp Equity Partners pitch in 2019. This pitch landed DOZR with $14 million CAD.

In 2017, Fairfax Financial Holdings increased its ownership of Torstar's non-voting shares from 20% to 40%. In late May 2020, Torstar accepted an offer of a sale of the company to NordStar Capital. The $52 million deal, supported by Fairfax, was expected to close by year end.

On April 24, 2018, it was announced that Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. would acquire the Canadian division of Toys "R" Us for approximately $234 million with the intention to keep the 82 remaining stores in Canada open under the Toys "R" Us brand even after the chain's liquidation in the United States. The deal was completed on June 1, 2018. Fairfax sold Toys R Us Canada to businessman Doug Putman in 2021.

Fairfax Latin America Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fairfax. Based in Miami, Florida, it offers a wide range of general insurance products, including property, automobile and various specialty lines, through its subsidiaries located in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay. Fairfax Latin America has approximately 970 employees and, in 2021, generated annual gross premiums that exceeded US$727 million. Fairfax Latin America underwrites through SBS Seguros Colombia S.A., Southbridge Insurance Company, Meridional Seguros and SBI Seguros Uruguay S.A.

Fairfax Financial has over 8,200 employees worldwide (5,000 of them in the United States). There are just 30 employees at head office in Toronto.

On August 9, 2022, Fairfax Financial proposed a $954 million takeover bid for the Canadian restaurant operator Recipe Unlimited Corp.

Subsidiaries

 * Brit plc an international insurance and reinsurance group, acquired by Fairfax in 2015
 * Odyssey Re based in Stamford, Connecticut, underwrites treaty and facultative reinsurance as well as specialty insurance business (100%-owned by Fairfax).
 * Northbridge Financial based in Toronto, provides property and casualty insurance through its Commonwealth, Federated, Lombard and Markel subsidiaries, primarily in the Canadian market as well as in selected U.S. and international markets (100%-owned—Fairfax completed the privatization of Northbridge on January 13, 2009).
 * Fairfax Latin America Ltd. Based in Miami, Florida, it offers a wide range of general insurance products, including property, automobile and various specialty lines.
 * Crum & Forster based in Morristown, New Jersey, is a property and casualty insurance company.
 * Zenith Insurance Company based in Woodland Hills, California, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fairfax. Zenith is a specialist in workers' compensation insurance. Fairfax purchased 100% of Zenith National Insurance Corp for approximately $1.3 billion on May 20, 2010.
 * Falcon Insurance, based in Hong Kong, writes property and casualty insurance.
 * First Capital based in Singapore, writes property and casualty insurance.
 * The U.S. runoff group, which consists of TIG, International Insurance and the Fairmont entities
 * The European runoff group, which consists of RiverStone Insurance UK and Dublin, Ireland-based nSpire Re
 * Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel Ltd. HWIC was founded in 1984 and provides asset management for all of Fairfax's subsidiaries
 * Cunningham Lindsey provides insurance claims services (43.6%-owned)
 * MFXchange, established in 2002, provides technology services for Fairfax and the insurance industry.
 * Group Re
 * ICICI Lombard was a 26/74% joint venture with ICICI Bank Limited, India's second-largest bank and Fairfax Financial. In its IPO FAIRFAX sold its stake.
 * Pethealth Inc. based in Ontario, Canada, with offices in the UK and the US was acquired by Fairfax in November 2015.
 * SBI Seguros Uruguay, based in Montevideo, was acquired by Fairfax on January 31, 2018
 * Toys "R" Us Canada, along with the Canadian trademark rights, was purchased from Toys "R" Us during the latter company's liquidation in 2018. Fairfax sold Toys “R” Us Canada to FYE owner Doug Putman in 2021.

Other investments

 * Fairfax Asia, Fairfax Asia Limited ("Fairfax Asia") is the fastest growing insurance line of business within the Fairfax Group.
 * Fairfax Brasil, Fairfax Brasil Seguros Corporativos S.A. ("Fairfax Brasil") is a Brazilian property and casualty insurance, headquartered in São Paulo.
 * Polish Re, Polish Re (Polskie Towarzystwo Reasekuracji Spółka Akcyjna) based in Warsaw, Poland, writes reinsurance business in Central and Eastern Europe (100%-owned by Fairfax).
 * Advent Capital (Holdings) PLC, Advent Capital, based in London, in the U.K., provides specialty property and casualty insurance, operating through Syndicates 780 and 3330 at Lloyd's London (100%-owned by Fairfax).
 * Alliance Insurance, Fairfax owns a 20% stake in Alliance Insurance (Dubai).
 * Alltrust Insurance Company of China, Fairfax owns a 15% stake in Alltrust Insurance Company in China.
 * BlackBerry Ltd
 * Digit general insurance Fairfax has backed up this startup in India
 * Bengaluru International Airport Limited which operates the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, India. Fairfax owns 54% of BIAL with Siemens owning 20% while the rest is owned by the governments of India and Karnataka.
 * Recipe Unlimited, a Canadian food services giant
 * General Fidelity Insurance Company, On August 17, 2010, Fairfax purchased 100% of General Fidelity Insurance Company (GFIC – a runoff company), for approximately $241 million. GFIC will be under RiverStone, Fairfax runoff group.
 * Gulf Insurance Co., On September 28, 2010, Fairfax purchased 41.3% of Gulf Insurance Co. (a Kuwait insurance company), for approximately $217 million.
 * First Mercury Financial Corporation, On October 28, 2010, Fairfax announced to acquire all of the outstanding shares of First Mercury common stock for approximately $294 million.  First Mercury will become the excess and surplus lines platform for Crum & Forster.
 * The Pacific Insurance Berhad, Pacific Insurance is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On December 3, 2010, Fairfax announced to acquire Malaysian insurer, The Pacific Insurance Berhad, for approximately US$64 million. Pacific will join the Fairfax Asia group. (The deal is expected to close in the 1st Q. of 2011)
 * Thomas Cook India, In May 2012 Fairfax invested in the company through Fairbridge Capital (Mauritius) Limited
 * Jordan Kuwait Bank, Odyssey Re, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fairfax owns a 4.8% stake of the Jordan Kuwait Bank.
 * ICICI Lombard. ICICI Lombard is the largest private general insurance company in India, with a 12.5% market share. ICICI Bank, which owns the 74% of ICICI Lombard not owned by Fairfax, requested Indian government approval to sell a 5.9% stake in itself (ICICI Financial Services Ltd.) for $600 million to a group of private equity investors. ICICI Bank was looking at valuing ICICI Holdings at $10 billion. Goldman Sachs and other foreign funds were interested in buying the stake. Fairfax is carrying the minority interest in ICICI Lombard, on its balance sheet at $60 million, which appears to be a significant discount to intrinsic value (The 26% stake in ICICI Lombard is via Fairfax Asia, which is owned 100% by Fairfax Financial—which also includes a 29.5% economic interest owned by Odyssey Re Holdings Corp).
 * Overstock.com. Fairfax holds a 16.5% stake in online retailer Overstock.com (Chou Associates Management Inc. holds a 9.9% stake). Patrick M. Byrne, the CEO, chairman and owner of Overstock comes from a family of value investors. He is the son of John J. Byrne, former chairman of Berkshire Hathaway's GEICO insurance subsidiary and White Mountains Insurance Group.
 * Chou Associates Fund, In late 2002, Fairfax invested $50 million in Chou Associates Fund and another $50 million in the first half of 2003 (Fairfax apparently owns more than 26% of Chou Associates Fund).
 * AXA Insurance, AXA Group (France) completed a transaction of sale of its Ukrainian subsidiaries PJSC Insurance Company AXA Insurance and ALC Insurance Company AHA Life Insurance.
 * CSB Bank Ltd (formerly The Catholic Syrian Bank Limited), In 2018, Fairfax took a 51% stake in India based CSB Bank Ltd

Other notable transactions

 * AbitibiBowater Inc. (new—scheduled to close on March 31, 2008) Fairfax made an investment of $350 million in AbitibiBowater convertible debentures with an 8% cash coupon. The debentures are convertible into common shares of AbitibiBowater Inc at US$10.00 per share. The debentures has an ability to pay interest in the form of additional "pay-in-kind" debentures at a rate of 10%, and has an AbitibiBowater subsidiary guarantee. They have a maturity of 5 years and are non-callable. Fairfax will have the right to appoint two directors to the Board of Directors.
 * Toys 'R' Us Inc. which it sold in 2021 to Putnam.

title: Fairfax Financial


text:
List of media proprietors

The following is a list of media proprietors.

A

 * Israel Asper - CanWest, Canada

B

 * Jeff Bezos - Washington Post
 * Conrad Black
 * Martin Bouygues - TF1, Bouygues
 * Silvio Berlusconi - Canale 5, Italia 1, Rete 4, Telecinco, Il Giornale, Panorama (Italian magazine)

C

 * Gustavo Cisneros - Venevisión

D

 * Richard Desmond - Northern & Shell, UK
 * Felix Dennis, UK
 * Barry Diller - USA Interactive, US

E

 * Michael Eisner - Walt Disney Company, US
 * Charlie Ergen - Dish Network, US

F

 * Larry Flynt - Hustler, UK

G

 * David Geffen - DreamWorks Animation SKG
 * Al Gore - current.tv

J

 * Steve Jobs - Pixar, US

K

 * Jeffrey Katzenberg - DreamWorks Animation SKG, US
 * Leo Kirch - KirchMedia, Germany

M

 * José Roberto Marinho - Globo, Brazil
 * Roberto Irineu Marinho - Globo, Brazil
 * João Roberto Marinho - Globo, Brazil
 * Robert Maxwell - Maxwell Communications Corporation, UK
 * Jean-Marie Messier - Vivendi Universal, France
 * Javier Moll, Spain, Australia
 * James Murdoch - British Sky Broadcasting, UK
 * Rupert Murdoch - News Corporation, US, UK, Australia

O

 * Tony O'Reilly - Independent News & Media, Ireland

R

 * Sumner Redstone - Viacom, CBS Corporation, US

S

 * Patrick Soon-Shiong - Los Angeles Times & San Diego Tribunal
 * Steven Spielberg - DreamWorks Animation SKG

T

 * Lisa Tolliver, US
 * Ted Turner, US

W

 * Bob Weinstein - The Weinstein Company, US
 * Harvey Weinstein - The Weinstein Company, US
 * Oprah Winfrey - Harpo Productions

title: List of media proprietors


text:
Small sausage in large sausage

Small sausage in large sausage is a snack sausage sandwich invented in Taiwan in the late 20th century. A segment of Taiwanese pork sausage is wrapped in a (slightly bigger and fatter) sticky rice sausage to make this delicacy, usually served chargrilled. Deluxe versions are available in night markets in Taiwan, with condiments such as pickled bokchoy, pickled cucumber, garlic, hot peppers, wasabi, and thick soy sauce paste to complement the taste.

title: Small sausage in large sausage


text:
List of human spaceflights to the International Space Station

This is a chronological list of spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS), including long-term ISS crew, short term visitors, replacement/rescue missions and mixed human/cargo missions. Uncrewed visiting spacecraft are excluded (see Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station for details). ISS crew members are listed in bold. "Time docked" refers to the spacecraft and does not always correspond to the crew.

, 269 people from 21 countries had visited the space station, many of them multiple times. The United States sent 163 people, Russia sent 57, 11 were Japanese, nine were Canadian, five were Italian, four were French, four were German, two from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and one each from Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Israel, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

U.S. Space Shuttle missions were capable of carrying more humans and cargo than the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, resulting in more U.S. short-term human visits until the Space Shuttle program was discontinued in 2011. Between 2011 and 2020, Soyuz was the sole means of human transport to the ISS, delivering mostly long-term crew. Russian cargo deliveries have been exclusively carried out by the uncrewed missions of Progress spacecraft, requiring fewer human spaceflights.

Continued international collaboration on ISS missions has been thrown into doubt by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and related sanctions on Russia, but are still continuing as of 2024.


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Gabu Region

Gabú Region is the easternmost region in Guinea-Bissau. Its capital is Gabú. The region borders Senegal to the north, Guinea to the east and south and the Guinea-Bissau regions of Tombali and Bafatá to the west. It covers an area of 9,150 km2, making it the largest of Guinea-Bissau's administrative regions. It is an inland region covered with savannah or light savannah woodland and receives an annual rainfall of more than 2000 mm.

As of 2009, the total population of the region was 205,608, with the urban population being 51,211 and rural being 154,397. The sex ratio of the region is 94 females for every hundred males. As of 2009, the net activity rate was 72.44 per cent, proportion of employed labour force was 43.86 per cent, proportion of labour force was 74.48 and the proportion of potentially active population was 43.86 per cent. The absolute poverty rate, people earning less than $2 a day, in the region stood at 72.4 per cent, with a regional contribution of 13.6 per cent to the national poverty totals.

Geography
Gabu is an inland region and the highest point is Monte Torin with an elevation of 262 m. The internal region has plains, which are interspersed with rias. There are lot of meandering rivers, many of them forming estuaries in the coastal regions. The principal river, Corubal River, flows through the region. The climate is hot and tropical and the region has two seasons. The onset of summer is from December to May with April - May period having temperature ranges from 20 °C to 30 °C. The rainy season is usually from May to November. The region receives an average rainfall of around 1000 mm compared to the coastal regions, which receive 2000 mm. The internal regions are covered with Savannah or light Savannah woodland.

Administration
Gabú is divided into 5 sectors, namely, Boé, Gabú, Piche, Pirada and Sonaco. Guinea-Bissau got independence from Portugal on 24 September 1973 after wars and diplomatic political actions under the Partido Africano da Independência de Cabo Verde (PAICV), while Portugal accepted the independence of Cape Verde on 5 July 1975. PAICV ruled both the countries after independence. While international funds came pouring in for the economic development of the nation, the party was accused of misusing power in authoritarian manner. The one-party state mechanism was turbulent during the period of 1980s and 1990s with army taking control of power more frequently and the resultant civil war resulted in loss of property and lives. To decentralize power, an administrative region and eight regions were created. There has not been any local administration since the civil war of 1998-99 and all the social services are done by organs of civil society and other government agencies. There is minimal health and education services offered by the government and all the government departments have operated in a limited fashion. A transitional government was selected during 2003–4 with an adopted Public Transition Charter. The Military Committee appointed two civilians as interim President and Prime Minister. Elections were held for a five-year term on 24 July 2005 with a multi party representation. There was a military coup in 2012, after which EU and international donations stopped. The latest elections were held during April 2014 with 13 Presidential candidates and representation from 15 parties. The elections were monitored by 550 international observers. Jose Mario Vaz and his party, won the Presidential and parliamentary elections against the military backed Nuno Gomes Nabiam.

Demographics
As of 2009, the total population of the region was 205,608, with the urban population being 51,211 and rural being 154,397. The sex ratio of the region is 94 females for every hundred males. The total resident population in the region is 205,608. The total agricultural population in the region is 163,504. The average number of household in the region is 9.5 and the density of the population is 22.5 km2. The intercensal rate of average annual growth (adjusted data) is 2.55 per cent. The non-agricultural population in the country is 42,104. The total number of households per capita in the region is 30,800. The fraction of Christians in the region is 2.6 per cent, Muslims is 86.50 per cent, animists is 0.30 per cent, not detailed was 10.50 per cent and people following no religion was 0.1 per cent.

Economy
As of 2009, the net activity rate was 72.44 per cent, proportion of employed labour force was 43.86 per cent, proportion of labour force was 74.48 and the proportion of potentially active population was 43.86 per cent. The major economic activity in the parts around the rivers and the coastal areas was fwashing, while it was agriculture in the inland areas. As of 2011, the total population which was active constitutes 60 per cent nationwide indicating there are lot of employed people. But the poverty rate was very high in the country with an estimated two-thirds below the poverty line. Out of the working population, an estimated 58.4 per cent are employed in freelance activities, while wage earners formed 42 per cent. The unemployment in the region as of 2001 was 10.2 per cent, compared to the capital Bwassau which has 19.3 per cent. Totally 63.5 per cent were employed in agriculture (including forestry), 8.9 in industry and 6.1 per cent in public adminwastration. As per IMF report in 2011, people who were engaged in agriculture were poorer compared to others, while educated and higher educated people earned more. The absolute poverty rate, people earning less than $2 a day, in the region stood at 72.4 per cent, with a regional contribution of 13.6 per cent to the national poverty totals.

title: Gabu Region


text:
Talk:Brain/to do

 * Page numbers needed in some sources
 * More information about cerebrospinal fluid as it is only mentioned once
 * Expand Society and Culture section

title: Talk:Brain/to do


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Semistable abelian variety

In algebraic geometry, a semistable abelian variety is an abelian variety defined over a global or local field, which is characterized by how it reduces at the primes of the field.

For an abelian variety $$A$$ defined over a field $$F$$ with ring of integers $$R$$, consider the Néron model of $$A$$, which is a 'best possible' model of $$A$$ defined over $$R$$. This model may be represented as a scheme over $$\mathrm{Spec}(R)$$ (cf. spectrum of a ring) for which the generic fibre constructed by means of the morphism $$\mathrm{Spec}(F) \to \mathrm{Spec}(R) $$ gives back $$A$$. The Néron model is a smooth group scheme, so we can consider $$A^0$$, the connected component of the Néron model which contains the identity for the group law. This is an open subgroup scheme of the Néron model. For a residue field $$k$$, $$A^0_k$$ is a group variety over $$k$$, hence an extension of an abelian variety by a linear group. If this linear group is an algebraic torus, so that $$A^0_k$$ is a semiabelian variety, then $$A$$ has semistable reduction at the prime corresponding to $$k$$. If $$F$$ is a global field, then $$A$$ is semistable if it has good or semistable reduction at all primes.

The fundamental semistable reduction theorem of Alexander Grothendieck states that an abelian variety acquires semistable reduction over a finite extension of $$F$$.

Semistable elliptic curve
A semistable elliptic curve may be described more concretely as an elliptic curve that has bad reduction only of multiplicative type. Suppose $E$ is an elliptic curve defined over the rational number field $$\mathbb{Q}$$. It is known that there is a finite, non-empty set S of prime numbers $p$ for which $E$ has bad reduction modulo $p$. The latter means that the curve $$E_p$$ obtained by reduction of $E$ to the prime field with $p$ elements has a singular point. Roughly speaking, the condition of multiplicative reduction amounts to saying that the singular point is a double point, rather than a cusp. Deciding whether this condition holds is effectively computable by Tate's algorithm. Therefore in a given case it is decidable whether or not the reduction is semistable, namely multiplicative reduction at worst.

The semistable reduction theorem for $E$ may also be made explicit: $E$ acquires semistable reduction over the extension of $F$ generated by the coordinates of the points of order 12.

title: Semistable abelian variety


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Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a global chain of luxury hotel that operates more than 70 properties worldwide, with a strong presence in Canada.

The company originated from two hotel businesses established in the late 19th century, the Canadian Pacific Limited-owned Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts, and Fairmont Hotels. In 1999, Canadian Pacific Hotels acquired a majority interest in Fairmont Hotels; with Canadian Pacific Hotels later renaming its entire hotel portfolio under the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts banner in 2001. Shortly after the hotel division was renamed, Canadian Pacific Limited was split into several smaller companies in a starburst move, with Fairmont becoming a separately-traded company.

In 2006, Fairmont was acquired by Colony Capital, who subsequently entered into a joint partnership with the Kingdom Holding Company; consolidating Fairmont with their other hotel brands, Raffles and Swissôtel to form Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FRHI). FRHI in turn became a subsidiary of AccorHotels in 2016.

Canadian Pacific Hotels
Canadian Pacific Hotels (CP Hotels) began as a division of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Hotels department. The division operated a series of hotels along CPR's rail lines as early as 1886. Many of these resort hotels were built and operated by the railway's hotel department, while a few were later acquired from Canadian National Hotels, a hotel division of the Canadian National Railway. Over the years, a collection of grand railway hotels was put together throughout Canada, both rural and urban. By the 1980s, CP Hotels' collection included the Chateau Lake Louise, the Banff Springs Hotel, the Château Frontenac, the Empress Hotel, the Palliser Hotel, the Fairmont Royal York, and others. In addition to its properties in Canada, the hotel chain operated a few hotels outside Canada, with properties in Germany, Israel, Mexico, and the United States.

CPR's rival Grand Trunk Railway and later Canadian National Railway copied Van Horne's approach by building hotels such as the Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper, Alberta, and the Château Laurier in Ottawa. CPR purchased Canadian National Hotels, Canadian National Railway's hotel division in 1988, making CP Hotels the nation's largest hotel owner. In the 1990s, CP Hotels began to expand and purchased the Canadian Delta Hotels chain and the international Princess Hotels chain in 1998, which became wholly owned subsidiaries of CP Hotels. In 1999, the CP Hotels purchased the San Francisco-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain.

Fairmont Hotels
During the 1890s, James Graham Fair bought the land where the Fairmont San Francisco now stands, the first hotel to bear the Fairmont namesake. The nearly completed structure survived the earthquake of 1906. Although heavily damaged by the subsequent fires, the hotel was renovated under the eye of architect Julia Morgan and finally opened in 1907. In 1926, the Penthouse Suite was created with three secret passageways to access it. In 1945, the Fairmont San Francisco was acquired by Benjamin Swig. Beginning in the 1960s, the Swig family developed Fairmont into a small chain of luxury hotels throughout the United States. Operating as Fairmont Hotels Management, the hotel chain acquired, and built a number of hotel properties. The chain acquired the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans in 1965, renaming it the Fairmont Roosevelt, and then Fairmont New Orleans. The Fairmont San Jose was opened by the hotel chain in 1987. The company assumed management of the Plaza Hotel in New York in 1995 and purchased the Copley Plaza Hotel in 1996, renaming it The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. By 1998, the company managed seven properties in the United States.

In addition to those properties, the company also operated the Colony Square Hotel in Atlanta as Fairmont Colony Square Hotel from its opening in 1974 to 1977, and The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia as Fairmont Philadelphia from 1979 to 1980.

Merger (1999–2001)
In April 1999, Canadian Pacific Hotels, Kingdom Hotels International and Maritz Wolff & Co. bought Fairmont Hotels Management L.P., with Canadian Pacific Hotels holding the majority of the shares (67%).

In 2001, Canadian Pacific Limited, the parent company of both Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts, and Canadian Pacific Railway, was reorganized. During this reorganization, Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts was renamed to Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, using the name of the company it had purchased in 1999. The newly re-organized Fairmont company transferred several properties to its Delta Hotels subsidiary, although it retained most of the "signature" hotels and resorts under the new Fairmont banner.

Later that year in October 2001, Canadian Pacific Limited spun off all of its subsidiary companies into separately traded "independent" companies, including Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Companies like Fairmont Hotels and Resorts were split into smaller companies in a 2001 "starburst" move designed to increase the valuations of its individual divisions.

Fairmont Hotel and Resorts (2001–present)
In the early 2000s, Fairmont multiplied its openings in the United States. In 2001, Fairmont introduced the Willow Stream Spa prototype, a $7 million 2-floor 8,000-square-foot spa located inside the Fairmont Empress Hotel. The signature spa brand was then implemented in many of Fairmont's locations. In July 2001, Fairmont Hotels signed a joint-venture with Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for a minority-stake purchase and the management of a luxury 393-room hotel in Dubai. The Fairmont Dubai property was the first Fairmont branded hotel in the Middle East. In 2003, Fairmont introduced Fairmont Heritage Place, a chain of timeshare hotels, with the first opening in Mexico.

In 2004, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc. paid $70 million to take full control of the management company that runs its properties. Then in early 2006, a cluster of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts was sold for US$3.9 billion to Colony Capital, LLC. As a result of that purchase, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts was united with Raffles Hotels and Resorts and Swissôtel to form Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FRHI), though the four chains still operate under their individual names. In April 2010, Kingdom Hotels sold 22% of its shares of FRHI (from 58% to 35%) to Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment, giving them 40% of FRHI and became the second largest shareholder of the company. The remaining 60% belonged to a private shares holding in Sweden, trusted in ACCOR hotels, and other investors. The Middle East became Fairmont's new target market, where Fairmont opened in the Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel in 2010 and at the Palm Jumeirah in 2012. In Asia, Fairmont reopened the Peace Hotel in Shanghai in 2010, opened in Baku’s Flame Towers in 2011, and opened its first hotel in India in 2012. In the USA, Fairmont acquired the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, California in 2014.

In 2015, AccorHotels, with the approval and support of the external party, announced the acquisition of FRHI, thus adding Raffles Hotels and Resorts, Fairmont and Swissôtel to its Luxury Hotel Brands portfolio. Acquiring Fairmont Hotels & Resorts enabled the French hotel group to gain greater access to the lucrative North American market.

In 2015, Fairmont stated it would invest in two new hotels in Egypt, in addition to its existing Fairmont hotel located in Cairo.

In 2017, Fairmont opened the Fairmont Quasar Istanbul, its first hotel in Turkey.

In 2019, Fairmont opened its first South American hotel in Brazil.

In 2021, Fairmont opened the Fairmont Taghazout Bay hotel in Morocco, and the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul in South Korea.

Properties
The following is a non-exhaustive list of hotels and resorts managed by company.

title: Fairmont Hotels and Resorts


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Pavel Tretyakov

Pavel Mikhaylovich Tretyakov (Павел Михайлович Третьяков; 27 December 1832 – 16 December 1898) was a Russian businessman, patron of art, collector, and philanthropist who gave his name to the Tretyakov Gallery and Tretyakov Drive in Moscow. His brother Sergei Tretyakov was also a famous patron of art and a philanthropist.

Childhood
Together with other Moscow businessmen he acted as the founder of the Moscow Merchant Bank (becoming one of its heads), the Moscow commercial and industrial company, some other large firms. He amassed a considerable fortune (4.4 million rubles), consisting of real estate (5 houses in Moscow), securities, money and bills.

Collecting art
Tretyakov started to collect art in 1854 at the age of 22; his first purchase was 10 canvases by Old Dutch masters. He laid down for himself the aim of creating a Russian National Gallery. In his collection Tretyakov included the most valuable and remarkable products, first of all the contemporaries, from 1870 - mainly members of the society of circulating art exhibitions (Tovarishchestvo peredvizhnyh hudozhestvennyh vystavok or Peredvizhniki, Передвижники in Russian). He bought paintings at exhibitions and directly from artists' studios, sometimes he bought the whole series: in 1874 he acquired V.V. Vereschagin's "Turkestan series" (13 pictures, 133 figures and 81 studies), in 1880 - his "Indian series" (78 studies). In his collection there were over 80 studies by Alexander Ivanov. In 1885 Tretyakov bought 102 studies by V.D. Polenov painted by the artist during journeys across Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Palestine. He also acquired Viktor Vasnetsov’s collection of the sketches made during his work on St Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kiev. Tretyakov had the fullest collection of such artists as: V.G. Perov, I.N. Kramskoi, Ilya Repin, Vasily Surikov, I.I. Levitan, and Valentin Serov. Aspiring to show the beginnings and development of the domestic school of art, Tretyakov began to acquire pictures by masters of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries and landmarks of Old Russian painting. He also conceived the creation of a "Russian pantheon" - a portrait gallery of famous Russians. He commissioned especially for it portraits of figures of domestic culture from leading masters of this genre - N.N. Ge, Kramskoi, N.V. Nevrev, Perov, Repin.

In 1870-80 Tretyakov also began to collect illustrations (471 by 1893), and in 1890 he began to collect icons. During his lifetime they were kept in his study and were not put on public display. He also had a small collection of sculpture (9 sculptures by 1893).

At first the gallery was located in Tretyakov's house in Lavrushenski pereulok. But as his collection expanded he decided to reconstruct his house to accommodate it. In 1870-1880 the house was reconstructed a number of times by the architect Kaminski.

Tretyakov wanted to transfer the gallery to the city as discreetly as possible, without any fuss; he didn't want to be in the centre of general attention and an object of gratitude. But this was not possible and he was very dissatisfied.

From 1881 his gallery became popular (by 1885 it was visited by about 30 thousand people). In 1892 Tretyakov inherited a collection of Western European painting from his brother and placed it in two halls of the western school. The collection in Tretyakov's gallery was equal in importance with the largest museums in Russia at that time, and became one of sights of Moscow. In August 1892 Tretyakov donated his collection and a private residence to Moscow. By then in the collection there were 1287 pictures and 518 graphics of the Russian school, 75 pictures and 8 figures of the West-European school, 15 sculptures and a collections of icons.

On 15 August 1893 the official opening of a museum under the name "Pavel and Sergey Tretyakov City art gallery" (nowadays Tretyakov Gallery) took place. By 1890 it was visited by up to 150 thousand people annually. Tretyakov continued to build up his collection, for example, in 1894 he donated a gallery of 30 pictures, 12 figures and a marble statue “The Christian martyrs“ works by M.M. Antokolski. He was also involved in studying the collection, and from 1893 he produced its catalogue.

Other work
Apart from engaging in collecting, Tretyakov was active in charity. Charity for him was as natural as the creation of a national gallery.

He was an honorary member of the Society of Collectors of the Applied Arts and of the Musical Society from the dates of their foundations. He granted large amounts of money to these organizations, supporting all their educational undertakings. He supported an initiative to help the families of soldiers who died during the Crimean and Russo-Turkish War. He established grants in commercial schools in Moscow and Alexandrovskoe. He never refused monetary help to artists and others, and carefully looked after the affairs of painters who without fear entrusted their savings to him. He repeatedly lent money to his counsellor and adviser I.N. Kramskoi, and to V.G. Khudyakov, K.A. Trutovski, M.K. Klodt.

With his brother Sergey he supported the Moscow School for the Deaf, founded in 1860 by the artist Ivan Karlovich Arnold, and became its patron. In 1900 the school was renamed the Arnoldo-Tretyakov School.

Death and legacy
Pavel Tretyakov died in December 1898, and his funeral was held at the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi where he was an active parishioner. He was buried in Danilov Cemetery, but in 1948 his remains were transferred to Novodevichy Cemetery.

Tretyakov bequeathed half of his estate to charitable purposes. He provided for the financing of the gallery, and also for a shelter for the widows, juvenile children and unmarried daughters of artists who had died.

In his will he also provided large sums for the school for the deaf. He bought a big stone house with a garden for the school. 150 boys and girls lived in this house. Here they were looked after till they reached the age of 16. Tretyakov selected the best teachers, and became acquainted with the methods of study.

A minor planet 3925 Tretʹyakov, discovered by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Zhuravlyova in 1977 is named after Pavel Tretyakov and his brother Sergei Mikhailovich Tretyakov (1824–1892).

His daughter Vera married the pianist and composer Alexander Siloti. His other daughter, Lyubov, married the maritime artist, Nikolay Gritsenko.

title: Pavel Tretyakov


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Oio Region

Oio (historically Woye ) is a region in Guinea-Bissau. Its capital is Farim. Other major cities and towns include Nhacra, Mansôa, Bissorã and Cumeré. The region borders Senegal to the north, the Guinea-Bissau regions of Bafatá, Bissau and Biombo to the east, the Rio Geba/Guinea-Bissau region of Quinara to the south and the Guinea-Bissau region of Cacheu to the west. There has not been any local administration since the civil war of 1998-99 and all the social services are done by organs of civil society and other government agencies. It is a coastal region covered with Mangrove swamps, rain forest and tangled forest and receives an annual rainfall of more than 1000 mm, while the inland has savannah woodlands.

As of 2009, the total population of the region was 215,259, with the urban population being 32,907 and rural being 182,352. As of 2009, the net activity rate was 50.63 per cent, proportion of employed labour force was 35.98 per cent, proportion of labour force was 73.53 and the proportion of potentially active population was 35.98 per cent. The sex ratio of the region is 92 females for every hundred males. The absolute poverty rate, people earning less than $2 a day, in the region stood at 79.6 per cent, with a regional contribution of 18 per cent to the national poverty totals.

Geography
All the inland regions have a maximum elevation of 300 m. The internal region has plains, which are interspersed with rias. There are lot of meandering rivers, many of them forming estuaries in the coastal regions. The principal river, Rio de Canjambari, flows through the region. The climate is hot and tropical and the region has two seasons. The onset of summer is from December to May with April - May period having temperature ranges from 20 °C to 30 °C. The rainy season is usually from May to November. The region receives an average rainfall of around 1000 mm compared to the coastal regions, which receive 2000 mm. The internal regions are covered with savannah or light savannah woodland.

Administration
Oio is divided into five sectors, namely, Bissorã, Farim, Mansaba, Mansôa and Nhacra. Guinea-Bissau got independence from Portugal on 24 September 1973 after wars and diplomatic political actions under the Partido Africano da Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde (PAIGC), while Portugal accepted the independence of Cape Verde on 5 July 1975. PAIGC ruled both the countries after independence. While international funds came pouring in for the economic development of the nation, the party was accused of misusing power in authoritarian manner. The one-party state mechanism was turbulent during the period of 1980s and 1990s with army taking control of power more frequently and the resultant civil war resulted in loss of property and lives. To decentralize power, an administrative region and eight regions were created. There has not been any local administration since the civil war of 1998-99 and all the social services are done by organs of civil society and other government agencies. There is minimal health and education services offered by the government and all the government departments have operated in a limited fashion. A transitional government was selected during 2003–4 with an adopted Public Transition Charter. The Military Committee appointed two civilians as interim President and Prime Minister. Elections were held for a five-year term on 24 July 2005 with a multi party representation. There was a military coup in 2012, after which EU and international donations stopped. The latest elections were held during April 2014 with 13 Presidential candidates and representation from 15 parties. The elections were monitored by 550 international observers. Jose Mario Vaz and his party, won the Presidential and parliamentary elections against the military backed Nuno Gomes Nabiam.

Demographics
As of 2009, the total population of the region was 215,259, with the urban population being 32,907 and rural being 182,352. The sex ratio of the region is 92 females for every hundred males. The total resident population in the region is 215,259. The total agricultural population in the region is 53,810. The average number of household in the region is 9.5 and the density of the population is 39.8 km2. The intercensal rate of average annual growth (adjusted data) is 2.05 per cent. The non-agricultural population in the country is 161,449. The total number of households per capita in the region is 22,777. The fraction of Christians in the region is 15.8 per cent, Muslims is 42.10 per cent, animists is 20.80 per cent, not detailed was 20.50 per cent and people following no religion was 0.9 per cent.

Economy
As of 2009, the net activity rate was 50.63 per cent, proportion of employed labour force was 35.98 per cent, proportion of labour force was 73.53 and the proportion of potentially active population was 35.98 per cent. The major economic activity in the parts around the rivers and the coastal areas was fishing, while it was agriculture in the inland areas. As of 2011, the total population which was active constitutes 60 per cent nationwide indicating there are lot of employed people. But the poverty rate was very high in the country with an estimated two-thirds below the poverty line. Out of the working population, an estimated 58.4 per cent are employed in freelance activities, while wage earners formed 42 per cent. The unemployment in the region as of 2001 was 10.2 per cent, compared to the capital Bissau which has 19.3 per cent. Totally 63.5 per cent were employed in agriculture (including forestry), 8.9 in industry and 6.1 per cent in public administration. As per IMF report in 2011, people who were engaged in agriculture were poorer compared to others, while educated and higher educated people earned more. The absolute poverty rate, people earning less than $2 a day, in the region stood at 79.6 per cent, with a regional contribution of 18 per cent to the national poverty totals.

title: Oio Region


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Oyster vermicelli

Oyster vermicelli or oyster misua (traditional Chinese: 蚵仔麵線; Taiwanese Hokkien: ô-á mī-sòaⁿ) is a kind of noodle soup originated in Taiwan. Its main ingredients are oysters and misua (Chinese vermicelli). One of the famous places serving this is in Dihua Street, Dadaocheng, Taipei. A tan-brown variety of vermicelli used for this dish is made primarily with wheat flour and salt, and gains its unique colour due to a steaming process that darkens the sugars in the dough, allowing it to be cooked for longer periods without breaking down.

An alternative is vermicelli with large intestine, in which oysters are substituted with small segments of pig's large intestine.

title: Oyster vermicelli