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Adrian helmet

The Adrian helmet (Casque Adrian) was an influential design of combat helmet originally produced for the French Army during World War I. Its original version, the M15, was the first standard helmet of the French Army and was designed when millions of French troops were engaged in trench warfare, and head wounds from the falling shrapnel generated by indirect fire became a frequent cause of battlefield casualties. Introduced in 1915, it was the first modern steel helmet and it served as the basic helmet of many armies well into the 1930s. Initially issued to infantry soldiers, in modified form they were also issued to cavalry and tank crews. A subsequent version, the M26, was used during World War II.

World War I
At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, soldiers in the French Army wore the standard kepi cap, which provided no protection against injury. The early stages of trench warfare proved that even basic protection of the head would result in a significantly lower mortality rate among front-line soldiers. By the beginning of 1915, a rudimentary steel skull-cap (calotte métallique, cervelière) was being issued to be worn under the kepi.

Consequently, the French staff ordered development of a metal helmet that could protect soldiers from the shrapnel of exploding artillery shells. Since soldiers in trenches were also vulnerable to shrapnel exploding above their heads, a deflector crest was added along the helmet's axis. Branch insignia in the form of a grenade for line infantry and cavalry, a bugle horn for chasseurs, crossed cannon for artillery, an anchor for colonial troops and a crescent for North African units was attached to the front. Contrary to common misconception, the M15 helmet, and other Great War helmets, were not designed to protect the wearer from direct impact by rifle or machine gun bullets. The resulting headgear was credited to Intendant-General Louis Auguste Adrian.

The helmet adopted by the army was made of mild steel and weighed only 0.765 kg), which made it lighter and less protective than the contemporary British Brodie helmet and the German Stahlhelm. Orders were placed for the helmets in the spring of 1915, which started being issued by July. By September, all frontline troops in France were issued with the helmet. The helmet was surprisingly complex to produce with seventy stages involved in its production, not including those required to prepare the metal. The slot for the badges and the distinctive crest took additional time to manufacture, while also adding a hundred grams of weight.

However, the helmet was deliberately designed this way to evoke the artistic style of the highly popular military artist Édouard Detaille, which helped raise the morale of the troops. Indeed French troops identified closely with their helmets. The helmet's light weight was also better suited to France's emphasis on mobility and was easier for soldiers to wear for extended periods. In addition to the helmet, a set of armored "epaulets" were also developed by Adrian and issued to defend against shrapnel and air-dropped darts, although they were not in common use.

From late 1915, a cloth cover for the helmet was issued, in khaki or light blue, to prevent reflection. However, it was found that if the helmet was pierced by shell splinters, pieces of dirty cloth were carried into the wound, which increased the risk of infection. Consequently, in mid-1916 an order was issued that the covers should be discarded. By the end of World War I, the Adrian had been issued to almost all infantry units fighting with the French Army. It was also used by some of the American divisions fighting in France, including the African-American 369th Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the Harlem Hellfighters, and the Polish forces of  Haller's Blue Army. The French Gendarmerie mobile adopted a dark blue version in 1926, and continued to wear it into the 1960s, well after the regular army had discarded it.

In December 1915, Winston Churchill (later to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940–1945), while serving as a major with the British Army's Grenadier Guards, was presented with an Adrian helmet by the French General Émile Fayolle. He is seen wearing it in photographs and in a portrait painted by Sir John Lavery.

The helmet proved to be fairly effective against shrapnel and it was cheap and easy to manufacture. As a consequence, more than twenty million Adrian helmets were produced. They were widely adopted by other countries including Albania, Belgium, Brazil, China, Czechoslovakia, El Salvador, Greece, Haiti, Italy (including license-built versions), Japan, Latvia,  Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Siam, Turkey, the United States, USSR, and Yugoslavia, many of these states adding its own insignia to the front of the helmet.

However, because the new steel helmets offered little protection against bullets, they were reportedly often among the first pieces of equipment to be abandoned by soldiers on the battlefield. It was also discovered that the badge placed on the front of helmets impaired the strength of the helmet because of the two slots required. This perceived weakness made several armies remove their national insignia altogether. Early helmets were painted "horizon-blue" (light blue-grey) for French troops and khaki for colonial forces. Those made after 1935 are usually painted khaki, reflecting the French army movement to a more camouflaged uniform in the 1930s.

Later service

In 1926, the Adrian helmet was modified by being constructed of stronger steel and simplified by having the main part of the helmet stamped from one piece of metal, and therefore without the joining rim around the helmet that characterizes the M15. The large ventilation hole under the comb, which had been a weak point of the old design, was also replaced with a series of small holes. The M26 helmet continued in use with the French Army until after World War II, and was also used by the French police up to the 1970s. During the interwar period Belgium began to produce their own domestically made M26 Adrians and exported them around the globe. These helmets can be distinguished from their French counterparts, because they have a slightly different comb and a wider rim. In other countries the Adrian-type helmets were also in use with the fire-fighting units, railway guards or marine infantry (e.g. Japan's SNLF). Adrian helmets are still prized by collectors today. In 1940, Mexico began to produce M26 helmets locally after shipments from France stopped due to the German occupation. A crestless version was produced in small numbers as well.

Modern assessment
A 2020 study published by PLOS One found that the Adrian helmet outperformed the Advanced Combat Helmet, which was deployed almost a century later, in overhead blasts. It also surpassed the Stahlhelm and Brodie helmets. The researchers believed the crest, a feature unique to the Adrian helmet, might be the cause.

title: Adrian helmet


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Brann Stadion

Brann Stadion is a football stadium in Bergen, Norway. It was constructed in 1919, and has been the home of the football club Brann ever since. The stadium lies 3 km south of the city centre, at the foot of Mount Ulriken.

The record attendance dates from 1 October 1961, when Brann hosted Fredrikstad in the cup semi-final, in front of 24,800 spectators. Though its league attendance record is 23,900, from 1978, when they hosted Lillestrøm. Brann Stadion has, per. 2009, a capacity of 17,317. A redevelopment project was underway, aimed at increasing the capacity to over 20,000, but it has been put on hold. Brann Stadion has the third largest attendance capacity in Norway.

Brann Stadion was owned jointly by Brann (49%) and Stor-Bergen Boligbyggelag (51%). However, in an act of local-patriotism the Stor-Bergen Boligbyggelag sold its shares to Brann for the same sum they bought the shares for, despite the added value of the stadium as a result of the still ongoing reconstruction (December 2006).

History
The history of Brann Stadion begins with Christen K. Gran, a member of the sports committee and one of the founders of Brann. It was his idea, in 1917, that Brann build a new stadium to call their own at Fridalen in the borough of Årstad. His proposal was initially met with scepticism, but he was determined to realize this project for the club and set about obtaining the necessary funds. According to tradition, donations ahead of the 1917 Norwegian Cup final between Brann and Sarpsborg secured the last sums of money needed to purchase the land. Construction began the year after and on 25 May 1919, the stadium was inaugurated with a match between Brann and the Norwegian national team.

At first, the stadium had running tracks, and terraces on each side of the pitch, while the west end and the Clock End remained undeveloped. The club house stood at the halfway line on the south side. During the 1930s, the club house was relocated and the current Main Stand built. Originally, it did not run the full length of the pitch. Over the years it has been expanded at both ends, with each expansion being of a different design from the rest. As a result, today's stand has a rather disjointed look about it. The middle part houses an honorary box above the tunnel, called Brannaltanen (The Brann Balcony).

The north side was redeveloped in 1978, adding a roofed tier behind the original terraces. The bottom part of the stand had a capacity of 3,000 standing spectators, nicknamed Store Stå (The Grand Stand). The crowds there, among the most passionate supporters of the club, used to create an excellent atmosphere. The upper tier seated 2,620. Umbro bought the naming rights to the stand in 2002 when they became the club's kit supplier. In November 2006, the northern stand was demolished to give way for a new all-seated stand with heavily improved VIP facilities.

Since the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 and the ensuing Taylor Report, football clubs in Europe have been converting their stadiums to all-seaters, and although Norwegian clubs have not felt the same pressure as, for example, English clubs, they have been hampered by the fact that continental competitions such as the Champions League and UEFA Cup demand that their games be all-seaters. Whenever Brann have entered European competitions, home games have had to be played with a reduced capacity. Eventually, the Football Association of Norway also began to impose restrictions on non-seated attendance in the domestic league.

At the end of the 1990s major plans were drawn up for the modernization of the stadium (plans which ultimately left the club heavily indebted). In 1997, the final expansion of the Main Stand was completed, putting its capacity at 4,339. The Frydenbø Stand seating 3,892 was built at the west end the following year. The Eastern stand formerly known as the Clock End has been redeveloped into an all-seated stand, which has been given the name The BT stand. At present, a new stand at the northern end is being developed.

In a 2012 survey carried out by the Norwegian Players' Association among away-team captains, Brann Stadion was ranked eighth amongst league stadiums, with a score of 3.47 on a scale from one to five.

Expansion
In 2001, it became clear that Brann would have to improve their stadium, or build a new one. Brann Stadion was still able to hold approximately 20,000 spectators, but increasingly strict rules regarding non-seated attendance meant the terrace capacity was gradually being reduced each year. Apart from the Frydenbø Stand, the stadium was more or less outdated, and many were now advocating the building of a completely new arena, at a different location from the old stadium. With a decision yet to be made, Brann were forced to install temporary bleachers at the Clock End in 2004 to accommodate a higher number of seated spectators. In addition, 160 seats were added to the Frydenbø Stand, increasing the number of seats to 12,211. The total capacity was limited to 17,500.

In the end, and not without criticism, Brann decided to remain at their original home ground, proposing to build three new stands by 2008. The Clock End, officially named the BT Stand, was inaugurated on 16 May 2006, when Brann played Tromsø. With 3,200 new seats and temporary standing room for 500, the stadium's capacity increased to just over 18,500. Once the last remaining corner is completed, the BT Stand will have a capacity of 6,000.

Controversy arose when entire rows of seating in the BT Stand collapsed during the game against Tromsø. Each row of seats is fixed to an aluminium rail which in turn is mounted to the concrete floor. Some of the mounts proved too weak to withstand the weight of the crowds, breaking off as people began to take their seats. The 90,000 seats that have been installed in the new Wembley Stadium are of the same design.

The Umbro Stand was torn down at the end of the 2006-season, and has been replaced by a new main stand seating 4,136. This stand features improved VIP facilities, including 35 executive boxes (eight in the corner between the main stand and the Clock End).

Once the south stand is rebuilt, the stadium will have an all-seater capacity of more than 20,000.

International matches
Brann Stadion has hosted 17 international games since 1933. The very first match ended in a 1–2 defeat at the hands of Wales, but since then Norway have not lost any subsequent game in Bergen (P17 W12 D4 L1). The stadium was the venue for three Norwegian Cup finals, in 1922, 1930 and 1947, as well as the national athletics championships in 1920.

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

title: Brann Stadion


text: Talk:House of Alpin

title: Talk:House of Alpin


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Philippine Defense Medal

The Philippine Defense Medal is a military award and decoration of the Republic of the Philippines which is awarded to recognize the initial resistance against Japanese invasion between 8 December 1941 and 15 June 1942. The award was first created in December 1944, and was issued as the Philippine Defense Ribbon. A full-sized medal was authorized and added in July, 1945.

Criteria
The Philippine Defense Medal is presented to any service member, of either the Philippine military or an allied armed force, which participated in the defense of the Philippine Islands between December 8, 1941 and June 15, 1942. Participation in any engagement against the enemy in Philippine territory, in Philippine waters, or in the air over the Philippines or over Philippine waters. An individual will be considered as having participated in an engagement if they meet one of the following:

 * (A) Participation in any engagement against the enemy in Philippine territory, in Philippine waters, or in the air over the Philippines or over Philippine waters. An individual will be considered as having participated in an engagement if they meet one of the following.

 * (1) Was a member of the defense garrison of the Bataan Peninsula or of the fortified islands at the entrance to Manila Bay.

 * (2) Was a member of and present with a unit actually under enemy fire or air attack.

 * (3) Served on a ship that was under enemy fire or air attack.

 * (4) Was a crewmember or passenger in an airplane that was under enemy aerial or ground fire.

 * (B) Assigned or stationed in Philippine territory or in Philippine waters for not less than 30 days during the period.

 * (C) Individuals who meet conditions set forth in paragraphs (A) and (B) of this section are authorized to wear a bronze service star on the ribbon.

The Philippine Defense Medal was awarded to the United States and Philippine Commonwealth troops which defended the Philippines at Bataan and would later be captured and forced to endure the Bataan Death March.

Recipients

 * Ramon A. Alcaraz
 * Antonín Volný
 * Donald Blackburn
 * John D. Bulkeley
 * Jose Calugas
 * James W. Coe
 * Edwin A. Doss
 * Richard W. Fellows
 * Guy Fort
 * Philip T. Fry
 * Amado F. Gador
 * Noel Gayler
 * Harold Keith Johnson
 * Edward P. King
 * Emilio S. Liwanag
 * Douglas MacArthur
 * William G. Martin
 * George F. Moore
 * Emmett O'Donnell Jr.
 * Moises Pama
 * George M. Parker
 * Royal Reynolds, Jr.
 * Manuel F. Segura
 * Susano Madril
 * Edward Thiele
 * Jesus M. Vargas
 * Walter A. Ditto
 * Jonathan M. Wainwright
 * Frank D. Wagner
 * Charles A. Willoughby
 * Jose Montalvan

Similar awards
Similar Philippine medals include the Philippine Liberation Medal and the Philippine Independence Medal. Members of the United States Armed Forces entitled to the Philippine Defense Medal were also eligible to receive the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with a bronze "battle star" ($3/16$" service star) for participation in the defense of the Philippines.

title: Philippine Defense Medal


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Category:Carbonate minerals

Carbonate minerals are those minerals containing the carbonate ion: CO3

title: Category:Carbonate minerals


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Huizong

Huizong are different temple names used for emperors of China. It may refer to:

 * Wang Yanjun (died 935, reigned 928–935), emperor of the Min dynasty
 * Emperor Huizong of Western Xia (1060–1086, reigned 1067–1086), emperor of Western Xia
 * Emperor Huizong of Song (1082–1135, reigned 1100–1126), emperor of the Song dynasty
 * Toghon Temür (1320–1370, reigned 1333–1370), emperor of the Yuan dynasty

title: Huizong


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Telogen effluvium

Telogen effluvium is a scalp disorder characterized by the thinning or shedding of hair resulting from the early entry of hair in the telogen phase (the resting phase of the hair follicle). It is in this phase that telogen hairs begin to shed at an increased rate, where normally the approximate rate of hair loss (having no effect on one's appearance) is 125 hairs per day.

There are 5 potential alterations in the hair cycle that could lead to this shedding: immediate anagen release, delayed anagen release, short anagen syndrome, immediate telogen release, and delayed telogen release.

 * Immediate anagen release occurs when follicles leave anagen and are stimulated to enter telogen prematurely. The effects become visible 2–3 months later with increased telogen effluvium.
 * Delayed anagen release, most commonly associated with pregnancy, involves the prolongation of anagen under the effect of pregnancy hormones, resulting in delayed but synchronous and heavy postpartum hair shedding.
 * Short anagen syndrome is characterized by an idiopathic and persistent telogen hair shedding, as well as the inability to grow hair long. This is a result of the shortening of the duration of anagen, meaning a greater number of telogen hairs at any given time, and is responsible for the majority of chronic TE cases.
 * Immediate telogen release generally occurs with drug-induced shortening of telogen leading to the premature reentrance of follicles to anagen, which causes a massive release of club (telogen) hairs. Drugs such as minoxidil can precipitate immediate telogen release.
 * Delayed telogen release involves a prolonged telogen phase followed by a delayed transition to anagen. This occurs in animals with synchronous hair cycles that shed their hair or winter coats seasonally. This is also sometimes responsible for seasonal hair loss in humans.

Emotional or physiological stress may result in an alteration of the normal hair cycle and cause the disorder, with potential causes including eating disorders, crash diets, pregnancy and childbirth, chronic illness, major surgery, anemia, severe emotional disorders, hypothyroidism, and drugs.

Diagnostic tests, which may be performed to verify the diagnosis, include a trichogram, trichoscopy and biopsy. Effluvium can present with similar appearance to alopecia totalis, with further distinction by clinical course, microscopic examination of plucked follicles, or biopsy of the scalp. Histology would show telogen hair follicles in the dermis with minimal inflammation in effluvium, and dense peribulbar lymphocytic infiltrate in alopecia totalis.

Vitamin D levels may also play a role in the normal hair cycle.

Many new cosmetic treatments have been reported, including Stemoxydine, Nioxin, minoxidil, and a leave-on technology combination: caffeine, niacinamide, panthenol, dimethicone, and an acrylate polymer (CNPDA). This treatment has shown to increase the diameter of existing, individual scalp hair fibres by 2–5 μm, yielding a significant increase of approximately 10% in the cross-sectional area of each hair. Additionally, CNPDA-thickened hairs also demonstrate altered mechanical properties of thicker fibres; increased suppleness/pliability, and increased ability to withstand force without breaking.

title: Telogen effluvium


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Calcio storico fiorentino

Calcio storico fiorentino (also known as calcio in livrea or calcio in costume) is an early form of football that originated during the Middle Ages in Italy. Once played, the sport is thought to have started in the Piazza Santa Croce in Florence. There it became known as the giuoco del calcio fiorentino or simply calcio, which is now also the name for association football in the Italian language. The game may have started as a revival of the Roman sport of harpastum.

Renaissance era
Calcio was reserved for rich aristocrats who played every night between Epiphany and Lent. Even popes, such as Clement VII, Leo XI and Urban VIII, played the sport in Vatican City. The games could get violent as teams vied to score goals. A variation of calcio storico fiorentino was most likely played in the 15th century as well, as a match was organized on the Arno River in 1490, notable as a day so cold the waters were completely frozen.

On another famous occasion, the city of Florence held a match on February 17, 1530, in defiance of the imperial troops sent by Charles V, as the city was under siege. The "noble game" was played in Piazza Santa Croce, only by distinguished soldiers, lords, noblemen and princes.

A version of rules for the game were first recorded by Giovanni de' Bardi in the late 16th century.

Modern revival
Interest in calcio waned in the early 17th century. However, in 1930 it was reorganized as a game in the Kingdom of Italy, under Benito Mussolini. It was widely played by amateurs in streets and squares using handmade balls of cloth or animal skin. Today, three matches are played each year in Piazza Santa Croce, in Florence, in the third week of June. A team from each quartiere of the city is represented:

After playing each other in two opening games, the two overall winners go into the yearly final on June 24, the feast of San Giovanni (St. John), the Patron Saint of Florence. For decades, this violent match has resulted in severe injuries, including death. During the early decades, in order to encourage wagering and achieve a bettable winner, there were times when bulls would be ushered into the ring in hopes of adding confusion and inciting victory. The modern version of calcio has not changed much from its historical roots, which allow tactics such as head-butting, punching, elbowing, and choking. However, due to often fatal injuries, sucker punches and kicks to the head are currently banned. It is also prohibited for more than one player to attack an opponent. Any violation leads to being expelled from the game.
 * Santa Croce / Azzurri (Blues)
 * Santa Maria Novella / Rossi (Reds)
 * Santo Spirito / Bianchi (Whites)
 * San Giovanni / Verdi (Greens)

The most successful team since 1979 is Santa Croce / Azzurri (Blues) with over 20 tournament wins. Tournaments have been cancelled on several occasions due to violence or foul play. These incidents have led to major rule changes, such as ensuring players are born in Florence (or have been resident for at least ten years) and excluding players that have criminal convictions.

Rules
Matches last 50 minutes and are played on a field covered in sand, twice as long as it is wide (approximately 100 x). A white line divides the field into two identical squares, and a goal net runs the width of each end.

Each team has 27 players and no substitutions are allowed for injured or expelled players. The teams are made up of four datori indietro (goalkeepers), three datori innanzi (fullbacks), five sconciatori (halfbacks) and 15 innanzi or corridori (forwards). The captain and standard bearer's tent sits at the center of the goal net. They do not actively participate in the game, but can organize their teams and occasionally act as caccas (referees), mainly to calm down their players or to stop fights.

The referee and the six linesmen officiate the match in collaboration with the judge commissioner, who remains off the field. The referee, above everyone else, is the master of the field, and is responsible for making sure the game runs smoothly, stepping into the field only to maintain discipline and reestablish order when fights occur.

Shots from a small cannon or colubrine announces the beginning of the event. The game starts when the pallaio throws and kicks the ball toward the center line, then at the first whistle as the ball first rests on field, 15 forwards or corridori, begin fighting in a wild mixed martial arts match- punching, kicking, tripping, hacking, tackling, and wrestling with each other in an effort designed to tire opponents' defenses, but which often descends into an all-out brawl. They try to pin and force into submission as many players possible. Once there are enough incapacitated players, the other teammates come and swoop up the ball and head to the goal.

From this moment on, the players try by any means necessary to get the ball into the opponents' goal, also called "caccia". The teams change sides with every caccia or goal scored. It is important to shoot with precision, because every time a player throws or kicks the ball above the net, the opposing team is awarded with a half caccia. The game ends after 50 minutes and the team which scored the most cacce wins.

Along with the palio, the winning team used to receive a Chianina, a type of pure-bred cow. However, this has been reduced to a free dinner for the winning team; the players earn no other compensation.

In popular culture
The comic book series Bitch Planet includes an event titled "Duemila" or "Megaton"; in issue #4 the event is described: "Megaton is one of many modern descendants of calcio fiorentino, a 16th century Italian sport... Teams may have any number of players, but their combined weight can be no more than 2000 lb!".

In the 2017 film Lost In Florence, Brett Dalton plays a former college football star who travels to Italy and becomes involved in playing calcio storico fiorentino.

In episode 4, "Judgement Day" of the TV series, Medici: Masters of Florence, the main characters engage in a game of calcio storico fiorentino in the main square of Florence during a flashback sequence.

In the sixth episode from the second season of Syfy Channel's HAPPY! (titled "Pervapalooza"), the demon Orcus references calcio storico fiorentino while trapped inside Blue Scaramucci's body. The demon says that hockey seems like foxy boxing compared to calcio storico fiorentino.

The Mirror and the Light, Hilary Mantel's novel about Thomas Cromwell, contains a description of an early 16th-century game of calcio storico fiorentino, emphasising its brutality.

Episode 1 of the 2020 Netflix series Home Game is dedicated to calcio storico fiorentino, featuring behind-the-scenes player vignettes contemporary to the 2019 Reds-versus-Whites final match. In addition to providing historical information, the episode depicts interviews with players from both teams.

title: Calcio storico fiorentino


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Nelson Dingley Jr.

Nelson Dingley Jr. (February 15, 1832 – January 13, 1899) was a journalist and politician from the U.S. state of Maine.

Dingley was born in Durham, Maine and attended the common schools at Unity, Maine and Waterville College (now Colby College). He graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1855, where he was a founding member of the Psi Epsilon Chapter of the Zeta Psi Fraternity. He then studied law, received an LL.D. from Bates College, and was admitted to the bar in 1856. However, he never practiced law and instead became proprietor and editor of the Lewiston, Maine Journal, holding this post for more than twenty years. He was a member of the Maine House of Representatives 1862–1865, 1868, and again in 1873, serving as speaker in 1863 and 1864. He was the 34th Governor of Maine in 1874 and a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1876 and 1880.

Dingley was elected as a Republican to the 47th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William P. Frye. He was then reelected to the 48th and to the seven succeeding Congresses, serving from September 12, 1881, until his death in Washington, D.C., before the close of the 55th Congress. Reputedly "destitute of humor but soundly versed in finance", Dingley was chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means in the 54th and 55th Congresses. The tariff schedule of 1897, known as the Dingley Tariff, was framed under his direction to repeal and reverse the lower rates set forth in the 1894 Democratic Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act. The Dingley Tariff raised tariff rates and granted the President authority to invoke reciprocity when negotiating trade treaties.

Dingley had been reelected to the 56th Congress and was succeeded by Charles E. Littlefield upon his death in Washington, D.C., on January 13, 1899. He is interred in Oak Hill Cemetery, near Auburn, Maine.

title: Nelson Dingley Jr.


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Caique

Caique ( or ) refers to a group of four species of parrots in the genus Pionites endemic to the Amazon Basin in South America.

Name
The term "caique" is primarily used in aviculture, with ornithologists typically referring to them as the "black-headed parrot" and "white-bellied parrot" (which is sometimes further split into three separate species - green-thighed parrot, yellow-tailed parrot and black-legged parrot) to describe the nominal species. They have historically been called the “seven-colored parrot”. They are relatively small and stocky, with a short, square tail and bright colors; this may be why they are referred to as “caique” based on the term for a similarly described Turkish vessel.

Description
The two primary nominal species are best distinguished by the black-headed caique's black crown; both have white “bellies”. Their typical weight is 150–170 grams, with the white-bellied species being the larger and heavier of the two nominal species. They can live up to 40 years, but this is not common in captivity.

Distribution and habitat
The black-headed caique is found north of the Amazon River, and the white-bellied caique south; there is a large area of overlap between ranges. They can produce fertile hybrids, but this is not common in the wild as it is in captivity. They generally prefer forested areas and subsist on fruit and seeds. Caiques are generally canopy dwellers, spending most of their time in the tops of trees, foraging and playing.

Taxonomy and systematics
Originally Pionites were classified as two species, the black-headed parrot and white-bellied parrot. However, recent morphological work has indicated that the white-bellied parrot should be split into three species based on plumage and leg coloration. In the past these parrots were often allied with the conures or other South American parakeets. Recent mitochondrial and nuclear DNA work has found Pionites to be the sister taxon to the Deroptyus (the genus that contains the red-fan parrot); the two genera occupy a basal position in the tribe Arini.

Behavior and ecology
These parrots are found in the edges of forests and secondary-growth forests. They usually forage on at higher levels in the canopy, although can also be found lower at forest edges. At least two members of the flock act as sentries during feeding time. Their diet consists of flowers, fruit, pulp, and seeds, although in captivity they are known to eat insects. Depending on the species and the location, they can breed from October to May at various times of the year. Caiques are high-nesting cavity birds and roost communally. They exhibit pack-like behavior when defending against threats. This may help to explain their relative self-confidence, compared to other parrots. Caiques are also known to form ad-hoc defensive committees in response to predators. The number of the flock is usually around 10 to 30 individuals. White-bellied caiques in the Tambopata National Reserve have been observed to be geophagous.

The species of the white-bellied parrot complex is found in humid forest and wooded habitats in the Amazon south of the Amazon River in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru. It is generally fairly common throughout its range and is easily seen in a wide range of protected areas, such as the Manú National Park and Tambopata-Candamo in Peru, Cristalino State Park (near Alta Floresta), Xingu National Park and Amazônia National Park in Brazil, and Madidi National Park in Bolivia.

The black-headed parrot is found in forest (especially, but not exclusively, humid) and nearby wooded habitats in the Amazon north of the Amazon River and west of the Ucayali River in Brazil, northern Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. It is generally fairly common and occurs in many protected areas throughout its range.

Caiques have a few unique ways of moving. They “surf” (described below), “hop” (when excited or to move quickly without flying), and “shuffle” (often in a rapid, backwards direction). They flip their wings rapidly, which exposes their red/orange patch under the wing, to potentially communicate to one another or other animals. They make different types of “purring” noises; some express wariness, others interest. They purr quietly when enjoying a drink. A startle call causes all caiques in the vicinity to take flight in random directions regardless of the initiator. A sound resembling a dead battery on a smoke detector is the typical contact call for the Black-headed Parrot.

When highly stimulated, caiques pin and flash their pupils, making their emotional state obvious. They are likely to attack and bite when displaying pinning and/or flashing eyes. Caiques are highly vocal and can inflict severely damaging bites. Caiques' wing feathers produce a distinctive whirring sound in flight.

Aviculture
Caiques are growing in popularity in aviculture. The more commonly found species is the black-headed caique since it was introduced first in captivity, but the white-bellied caique's popularity is growing rapidly. Well-raised caiques bond well with humans and have a reputation as playful and energetic birds that enjoy playing with toys and lying on their backs. These birds sometimes perform a behavior unusual for avian species in which they roll over on their backs in apparent play-fighting with other caiques—sometimes called "wrestling". They are not particularly good flyers, becoming tired and winded after only a short distance. They also tend to be clumsy and slow in the air compared to other birds. They often prefer to walk, jump, climb, ride other animals' backs, or hop as a mode of transportation. They are excellent climbers, with very strong feet and legs.

Caiques also exhibit a unique behavior known as "surfing", where the bird will vigorously rub its face, wings and chest against any nearby soft item (e.g. carpets, towels, cushions, crumpled paper, curtains or human hair) while using its beak to pull itself along. The bird will display jerky movements and may roll over several times. This behavior is thought to be a cleaning or bathing motion and occurs regardless of age or sex. In the wild, caiques use wet leaves for this behavior.

In captivity caiques are capable of breeding at under three years of age. They typically lay a clutch of four eggs, with incubation taking between 24 and 27 days. Most pairs will struggle to raise all four chicks; often the last chick to hatch will not survive unless it is taken for hand-rearing or co-parenting. Chicks are fed by both parents and remain in the nest box for approximately 70–75 days. Parents can be very affectionate towards their offspring and after the chicks have fledged they will return to the nest box each night with their parents where the family will roost as a group.

Conservation
The nominal species of black-headed caique and white-bellied caique are listed on Appendix 2 of CITES as a species of Least Concern but subspecies are more endangered; in reality, data is insufficient as with many parrots.

title: Caique


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Baseball at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Team squads

Below are the team squads for the Baseball at the 2004 Summer Olympics which took place in the Helliniko Olympic Complex, from August 15 to August 25.

The club listed is the club the player was with in 2004.

[[australia|🇦🇺]] Australia
Manager: 24 – Jon Deeble.

Coaches: 2 – Tony Harris, 33 – Paul Elliott, 34 – Philip Dale.

[[canada|🇨🇦]] Canada
Manager: 12 – Ernie Whitt

Coaches: 42 – Denis Boucher, 7 – Marty Lehn, 10 – Greg Hamilton, 21 – Tim Leiper.

Chinese Taipei
Manager: 85 – Hsu Sheng Ming (Chinatrust Whales).

Coaches: 29 – Lee Lai-Fa(National Training Team), 4 – Lin I-Tseng (Brother Elephants), 80 – Mitsujiro Sakai, 81 – Yang Shien-Ming (Fubon Bull).

[[cuba|🇨🇺]] Cuba
Manager: 39 – Higinio Vélez

Coach: 22 – Carlos Pérez Cepero, 30 – Pedro José Delgado Pérez, 34 – José Sánchez Elosegui, 41 – Francisco Laza Escaurrido Chapelle

[[greece|🇬🇷]] Greece
Manager: 27 – Jack Rhodes.

Coaches: 1 – Mike Riskas, 14 – Ioannis Kazanas, 42 – Scott Demtral.

[[italy|🇮🇹]] Italy
Manager: 30 – Giampiero Faraone.

Coaches: 8 – Claudio Corradi, 12 – Manuel Cortina, 27 – Salvatore Varriale.

[[japan|🇯🇵]] Japan
Manager: 33 – Kiyoshi Nakahata.

Coaches: 31 – Yutaka Takagi, 32 – Yutaka Ohno.

[[netherlands|🇳🇱]] Netherlands
Manager: 6 – Robert Eenhoorn.

Coaches: 17 – Eric de Bruin, 30 – Davey Johnson, 32 – Hensley Meulens.


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Joe Walton

Joseph Frank Walton (December 15, 1935 – August 15, 2021) was an American football player and coach who retired after 20 years as the head coach and creator of the football program at Robert Morris University. Walton played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a pass catching tight end for the Redskins and Giants. He served as head coach of the New York Jets for seven seasons, guiding them to the playoffs twice. He also served as an assistant coach for the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins, the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers during a 20-year period.

Early life and playing career
Walton was born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, in 1935, the son of former Washington Redskins guard Frank "Tiger" Walton. Like his father, Walton was a football star at Beaver Falls High School; both also starred at the University of Pittsburgh before playing in the NFL for the Washington Redskins, followed by coaching the Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers.

After initially enrolling at Indiana University Bloomington, Walton attended the University of Pittsburgh on a football scholarship. While there, Walton helped lead the Pittsburgh Panthers to the 1956 Sugar Bowl following the 1955 season and then to the 1956 Gator Bowl in his senior season. In 1955, his junior year Walton was selected an All-American. In 1956, he was named the co-captain of Pitt's team, was a unanimous selection as a first-team All-American and was named to the Academic All-American team.

Walton was selected in the second round with the 14th overall pick of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Redskins and played with them from 1957 to 1960. In July 1961, he was involved in a three-team trade with the Redskins, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. The Giants received Walton and end Jim Podoley from the Redskins, the Redskins received Fred Dugan from the Cowboys and placekicker John Aveni, end Jerry Daniels, and defensive halfback Dave Whitsell from the Giants, and the Cowboys received placekicker Allen Green and a sixth round for the 1962 NFL Draft from the Giants that the team later used to draft George Andrie. Walton played for the Giants from 1961 to 1963. He was placed on injured reserve due to shoulder and knee injures during the 1964 season. He announced his retirement as an active player on June 21, 1965.

Walton scored three touchdowns catches as a TE in one game. He did so twice during the 1962 season: October 28, 1962 against Washington and December 16, 1962, against Dallas. Walton's record was tied on September 25, 2014, by Larry Donnell of the New York Giants. October 28, 1962, Walton also caught teammate quarterback Y. A. Tittle's single-game record-tying seventh touchdown pass.

NFL
Walton began his NFL coaching career as a scout for the New York Giants (1965–1968), then transitioned to wide receivers coach (1969–1973). To gain coaching experience from George Allen he moved on to the Redskins as running backs coach (1974–1977) then offensive coordinator from 1978 to 1980. Walton moved to the New York Jets and served as offensive coordinator there for the 1981 and 1982 seasons. His work as offensive coordinator led the Jets to hand over the head-coaching position to him on February 10, 1983, when he succeeded Walt Michaels whose retirement had been announced the previous day. Walton served as the head coach of the New York Jets from 1983 to 1989 and his teams achieved a 53–57–1 record. He guided the Jets into the NFL postseason twice.

After the 1988 season, the Jets gave Walton a three-year extension deal. The 1989 season proved to be a nightmare for Walton and the Jets. They lost six of their first seven games of the season and never recovered on their way to a 4–12 finish (the worst record since 1980), with the last two home games being shutout losses. Fan discontent with the team led to chants of "Joe Must Go" that urged owner Leon Hess to fire him. On December 23, 1989 (three days after the final game), Walton and his staff was fired by Jets general manager Dick Steinberg, who had been hired to manage the team a week earlier. He was replaced by Bruce Coslet.

Walton was recruited by head coach Chuck Noll in 1990 to serve as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He served for two years until Chuck Noll retired after the 1991 season. Walton's NFL protégés include Rich Kotite, Bud Carson, Joe Theismann, Fran Tarkenton, Norm Snead, Ken O’Brien and Richard Todd.

College
On July 27, 1993, Walton was named the head coach at Robert Morris University of its newly formed Colonials football team. He remained in this position until the conclusion of the 2013 season.

Walton was hired in 1993 to build the program from scratch. After posting 13 wins as an independent his first two years at the helm, Walton led the Colonials into NEC football in 1996 by winning the first of five consecutive conference championships. During the five-year run, Robert Morris posted a 39-13 overall record and 26–2 mark in league play, and recorded the only undefeated season in school history with a 10–0 mark in the 2000 campaign. The Colonials won back-to-back ECAC Bowls in 1996 and 1997, and were crowned NCAA I-AA non-scholarship national champions in both 1999 and 2000.

The Colonials would go on to win a sixth NEC title in 2010 and earn the first-ever FCS playoff bid for the conference. The winningest coach in NEC history, Walton retired with 114 career victories and a 74–47 record against conference opponents during his 20-year run. He was four times as NEC Coach of the Year (1996, 1997, 1999 and 2010), and was an Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year candidate in 2010.

Walton has also helped a fledgling program send three of its brightest stars to the National Football League (NFL). Inaugural running back Tim Hall (1994–95) was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round (183rd player overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft. Hall played two years for the Oakland Raiders in 1996–97. Former offensive lineman Hank Fraley (1996–1999), a member of the NEC's first Hall of Fame induction class in 2010, spent 10 years in the NFL from 2000 to 2010 with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cleveland Browns and the St. Louis Rams. Fraley has been Offensive Line coach for the Minnesota Vikings since 2015. Former defensive back Robb Butler played with the San Diego Chargers in 2004. Also to see time in NFL camps from Robert Morris under Walton include former wide receiver DeLonte Perkins (Green Bay Packers), former quarterback Tim Levcik (Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers), AJ Dalton (Detroit Lions).

In 2005, Robert Morris University opened Joe Walton Stadium, the new home to the RMU Colonials. Walton's contract to remain the head coach at Robert Morris ran through 2013. In January 2012, RMU announced that Walton would retire at the end of the 2013 season, which would mark his 20th year as Robert Morris Head Coach, and assistant head coach and former Steelers defensive lineman John Banaszak  would replace Walton upon his retirement.

Personal life and honors
After returning to the Pittsburgh area in 1990 to coach for the Steelers, Walton moved back to his hometown Beaver Falls with his late wife, Ginger, who died in September 2007 after 47 years of marriage. They have two daughters, Jodi and Stacy, and one son, Joe and six grandchildren.

Walton lived in Beaver Falls with his wife Patty Sheehan Walton, whom he married December 10, 2011.

Since retiring from coaching, Walton was inducted into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame in November 2013. Joe Theismann emceed the dinner banquet honoring Walton. He was named to the Northeast Conference 2013-14 Hall of Fame class and was the 2014 Recipient of the Bob Prince Award presented to him by Steeler Owner Dan Rooney at the Art Rooney Award Dinner in Pittsburgh in April 2014. Joe Walton was inducted into the Larry Bruno Foundation's Hall of Achievement in 2012.

He died on August 15, 2021, at age 85.

title: Joe Walton


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Ascona

Ascona (Scona ) is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.

It is located on the shore of Lake Maggiore.

The town is a popular tourist destination and holds the yearly Ascona Jazz Festival.

Prehistory
The oldest archaeological finds in Ascona (at S. Materno and S. Michele) go back to the beginnings of the Late Bronze Age. During the expansion of the cemetery in 1952, a necropolis was discovered at S. Materno, where 21 cremation urns were discovered. The urns were either simply buried or covered with a stone slab box. They contained cremated bones and, in some cases, bronze grave goods. Of particular interest are the bronze brooches, which are among the oldest that have been found so far in Switzerland. They also provide important evidence for the relationship of this area to the cultures of the Italian Peninsula. The grave goods have similarities with those from the final phase of the so-called Canegrate culture (named after a large necropolis in Milan). However, the materials used are those of the late Bronze Age north of the Alps. This allowed the cemetery to be dated to the period between the 12th and 10th centuries BC and points to the fact that Ascona took part in trade over the Alps through the Val Mesolcina and over Lake Maggiore with the Po Valley.

Similar objects were found by exploratory excavations in the late 1960s on the castle hill of San Michele. Both fine ceramics and coarse pottery were discovered, which suggests that this area was settled during the Late Bronze Age, even if there is no evidence of the municipal structures. Remains of walls and clay from the Balladrum hill are the only Iron Age objects found in the municipality. However, the exact age is unknown. The only item that has been conclusively identified is a single flagon from the 6th to 5th century BC.

From the Roman Empire, a necropolis with 38 tombs at the foot of the Castle of S. Materno was discovered. The equipment found near the graves points to the period in the mid-1st or 2nd century AD. The necropolis was probably associated with a villa. In 1979–80, an excavation at the church of S. Sebastiano discovered 60 early medieval graves.

Medieval town
A fortified settlement is first mentioned in 1186, as Sconae (castrum quod dicitur sconae), in 1224 as burgus de schona. The etymology of the toponym is unknown, there are several suggestions from 19th-century scholarship, all of them uncertain: from Latin scanum "alluvial sediment", from Latin ab abscondito, or from an uncertain early Romance asculà "pasture in uncultivated land". The German form of the name, Aschgunen, is recorded from the 16th century, when Locarno had come under the rule of the Old Swiss Confederacy. It is no longer in use.

In the later Middle Ages, Ascona, Ronco, and Castelletto formed a village cooperative together. In 1321 it was mentioned for the first time, and in 1369, it had its own statutes. The history of Ascona during the Middle Ages is closely linked with that of Locarno. The important role of Ascona is reflected in the designation plebis Locarni Asconaeque which it was given in 1369. It is believed that in the 6th century, the Castle of San Michele was the site of a curia (court) and the seat of a sculdascio (Lombardic for officer) of the county of Stazzona, who exercised control over the entire parish of Locarno. In 1004, the court rights were transferred from the Archbishop of Milan to the Bishop of Como. In 1189 this gave the castle of San Michele to the Duni, one of the families of the Capitanei di Locarno. Other noble families from Locarno (Da Carcano, Castelletto, Muralto) settled in Ascona. They were joined by the Griglioni family that fled the wars between the Guelphs and Ghibellines of Milan.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Duni enlarged their fortress (demolished in the 17th century) and the church of S. Sebastiano as well as having created a plaza around their residential home. The oldest fortification, probably, is the castle of San Materno. At its location, north of the village, there already seems to have been a Roman tower. The fort was occupied as early as the Early Middle Ages. In the 13th century, it was owned by the Orelli and Castelletto families. In the 17th century, only a part of the walls was still preserved. In the course of the 13th century, two new fortifications were built. The first was the Carcani Castle on the shore east of the Church of SS. Pietro e Paolo, and it was already demolished by the 2nd half of the 13th century. The second, was still further east, outside the inhabited area at that time. The Griglioni built a small castle to protect a port. Parts of this castle still exist and have been integrated into modern buildings.

A church is first mentioned in 1264 and was originally consecrated only as the Church of S. Peter. The Church of SS Peter and Paul is first mentioned as a parish church in 1330, and in 1332 as a collegiate church. However, no documents exist which show the separation from the mother church of San Vittore in Muralto and thus the existence of an early medieval parish. The Church of S. Maria della Misericordia was built in 1399–1442. It contains one of the most extensive late Gothic fresco cycles in Switzerland.

Early Modern Ascona
In 1640-41, Ascona separated from Ronco and Castelletto. According to the statues adopted in the 14th century, Ascona was represented by three people in the Council of the parish of Locarno. Under the Swiss Confederation, it was represented with two members, alternating every two years with those of Ronco. In 1428, Filippo Maria Visconti gave the villages the market right, which was renewed by the Confederates after the conquest of Locarno in 1513.

In 1580, Bartolomeo Papio, who had become wealthy in Rome, donated 25,000 Scudi to Ascona for the construction of a seminary as long as the work could be completed within three years. In October 1584 the school was finished. After negotiations with Charles Borromeo, the Archbishop of Milan, and representatives of Pope Gregory XIII, it was decided to sell the originally planned Casa Papio and to build the Collegio Papio college next to the Church of S. Maria della Misericordia. This project ran from 1585 until 1592. In 1616, Cardinal Federico Borromeo, placed the school under the authority of the Congregation of the Oblate of Milan, which led the school until 1798.

The Church of SS Peter and Paul was enlarged in the 16th century, and in 1703, was elevated to have a provost over the church. This was followed by it being raised to have a dean in 1800. In 1617-37 the Church of Madonna della Fontana was built on the northern slopes of Monte Verità, which became a pilgrimage destination. The most remarkable profane building of this era is the Casa Serodine, a building of the 17th century, with a richly decorated facade.

Modern Ascona
After various changes, the Collegio Papio seminary was secularized in 1852 and then served initially as a high school. It then became a girls' school and later the Istituto Elvetico. In 1879, it returned to its original name and purpose and was placed under the Bishop of Como. In 1885 it came under the authority of the bishop of Lugano. Under the bishop of Lugano, several religious orders administered the seminary, including the Salesians (1894–1910), the Assumptionists (1910–14), and finally the Benedictines (since 1924). In the 20th century, the building was rebuilt and expanded several times (1924–27, after a fire in 1960, 1975–76, and 1992).

In the second half of the 18th century, the Church of SS Peter and Paul was extensively rebuilt. In 1859, the façade and the south side were totally redone in a Gothic Revival style. A further renovation began in 1948 but was aborted after the 18th-century vaults collapsed.

In 1798 Ascona elected to join the Helvetic Republic, and was granted a certain degree of local self-government. French troops moved into the town but were driven out, and it was then occupied by Austrian units. When the canton of Ticino was founded in 1803, Ascona became a political municipality.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the local economy depended mostly on crops, livestock, and fisheries. A smaller, but important source of income was the emigration of builders, architects, and artists to Rome and Tuscany. The most famous Ascona artist families were the Serodine, Abbondio, Pancaldi, and Pisoni. In the 19th century, linen production and mills offered job opportunities to the locals. In the second half of the 19th century, a dynamite factory operated in Ascona, but it closed after repeated explosions in 1874.

In the 20th century, tourism became a major part of the local economy. Since 1970 the number of second homes has increased substantially, and at the end of the 20th century, during the summer season, around 20,000 to 25,000 visitors came to Ascona each year. Closely connected with the rise of tourism was population growth in the 1920s. In 1925 an extensive redistribution of land ownership allowed non-locals to purchase land. By 1934, the number of landowners included not only 299 Ticinesi, but 88 other Swiss, 41 German, 35 Italian, and 31 foreign nationals. The settlement area has expanded since 1960. The expansion has proceeded more and more towards the north, so that Locarno and Ascona form a single agglomeration. Two bridges connect Ascona with the left bank of the Maggia river. The one at Solduno, which was built 1815–16, and rebuilt in 1887 after the flood of 1868, was totally replaced in 1996. The second bridge, further into the valley, was built in 1974–80. Since 1947, Ascona has also had an airport; however, it is likely to close in the near future.

In 1945 negotiations over World War II surrender plans took place between U.S. and Nazi German representatives in Ascona.

Monte Verità
"Monte Verità" ("Mount Truth") was so named at the beginning of the 20th century, when a "colony" was founded by proponents of primitive socialism and anarchy on a hill formerly known as "Monescia", just to the north-west of the town of Ascona.

The colony attracted a large number of artists, anarchists, and other famous people, including Hermann Hesse, Hans Habe, Carl Jung, Erich Maria Remarque, Hugo Ball, Else Lasker-Schüler, Stefan George, Isadora Duncan, Paul Klee, Rudolf Steiner, Mary Wigman, Gyula Háy, Max Picard, Ernst Toller, Henri van de Velde, Rudolf Laban, Frieda and Else von Richthofen, Otto Gross, Erich Mühsam, Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach, and Gustav Stresemann.

Geography
Ascona has an area,, of 4.97 km2. Of this area, 1.78 km2 or 35.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.66 km2 or 33.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.63 km2 or 52.9% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km2 or 0.2% is either rivers or lakes and 0.2 km2 or 4.0% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, housing, and buildings made up 26.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 13.7%, while parks, green belts, and sports fields made up 10.9%. Out of the forested land, 28.4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 5.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 6.0% is used for growing crops, while 3.0% is used for orchards or vine crops, and 26.8% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in lakes. Of the unproductive areas, 3.8% is unproductive vegetation.

The municipality is located in the Locarno District, on the right bank of the Maggia delta. It consists of the town of Ascona which includes the sections of Gerbi, Monescie, Monte Verità, Moscia, and Saleggi.

Coat of arms
The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure two keys argent in saltire ribboned together and in chief a papal crown of the same. The attributes of St. Peter were conceded when the bishop of Como and the church of St. Peter (S. Pietro) gave feudal rights to Ascona. "

Demographics
Ascona has a population of. , 27.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 10.7%.

Most of the population speaks Italian (66.0%), with German being the second most common (23.9%), and Serbo-Croatian being third (2.5%). Of the Swiss national languages, 1,189 speak German, 112 people speak French, 3,289 people speak Italian, and 10 people speak Romansh. The remainder (384 people) speak another language.

, the gender distribution of the population was 46.6% male and 53.4% female. The population was made up of 1,776 Swiss men (32.4% of the population), and 779 (14.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 2,202 Swiss women (40.1%), and 731 (13.3%) non-Swiss women. In there were 22 live births to Swiss citizens and 8 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 36 deaths of Swiss citizens and 9 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 14 while the foreign population decreased by 1. There were 7 Swiss men and 3 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 43 non-Swiss men and 27 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 17, and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 3 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.3%.

The age distribution,, in Ascona is; 365 children or 6.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 500 teenagers or 9.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 481 people or 8.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 612 people or 11.2% are between 30 and 39, 833 people or 15.2% are between 40 and 49, and 782 people or 14.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 817 people or 14.9% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 666 people or 12.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 432 people or 7.9% who are over 80.

, there were 2,472 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.0 persons per household. there were 689 single family homes (or 47.8% of the total) out of a total of 1,442 inhabited buildings. There were 194 two family buildings (13.5%) and 360 multi-family buildings (25.0%). There were also 199 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).

The vacancy rate for the municipality,, was 0.65%. there were 4,636 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 1,567. There were 606 single room apartments and 503 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 2,465 apartments (53.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 2,067 apartments (44.6%) were seasonally occupied and 104 apartments (2.2%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 11.8 new units per 1000 residents.

The historical population is given in the following table:

Heritage sites of national significance
There are eleven Swiss heritage site of national significance in Ascona. There are three churches on the list: the church of S. Maria della Misericordia with the Collegio Papio, the Church of S. Michele with the ruins of a medieval castle, and the Parish Church of SS. Pietro e Paolo. Three houses are on the list: the Serodine House, the Unifamiliare Tuia House, and the Villa at via Ludwig 26. The Balladrum, a prehistoric and medieval settlement, as well as the Albergo, a park with a complex of houses, and the Monte Verità Museum, are also on the list. Two museums, the Museo comunale d’arte and the Museo Epper, and a theater, the Teatro S. Materno, finish out the list. The entire town of Ascona is listed on the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

Politics
In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 32.24% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (18.93%), the SVP (15.89%) and the SP (15.29%). In the federal election, a total of 1,419 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 41.4%.

In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 3,346 registered voters in Ascona, of which 1,763 or 52.7% voted. 37 blank ballots and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,724 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT, which received 422 or 24.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD+GenGiova (with 323 or 18.7%), the SSI (with 307 or 17.8%) and the PS (with 215 or 12.5%).

In the Consiglio di Stato election, 29 blank ballots and 8 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,726 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 409 or 23.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD (with 338 or 19.6%), the LEGA (with 311 or 18.0%) and the SSI (with 254 or 14.7%).

Economy
, Ascona had an unemployment rate of 4.99%. , there were 9 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 3 businesses involved in this sector. 361 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 47 businesses in this sector. 2,683 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 353 businesses in this sector. There were 2,233 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 46.0% of the workforce.

, there were 2,056 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,149 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.8 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 16.0% of the workforce coming into Ascona are coming from outside Switzerland, while 0.1% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work. Of the working population, 7.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 47.8% used a private car.

, there were 34 hotels in Ascona with a total of 1,192 rooms and 2,230 beds.

Religion
From the, 3,308 or 66.4% were Roman Catholic, while 835 or 16.8% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. There are 606 individuals (or about 12.16% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 235 individuals (or about 4.72% of the population) did not answer the question.

Education
In Ascona about 69.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).

In Ascona there were a total of 766 students. The Ticino education system provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten, and in Ascona there were 94 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 217 students attended the standard primary schools and 10 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two-year middle school followed by a two-year pre-apprenticeship, or they attend a four-year program to prepare for higher education. There were 213 students in the two-year middle school and 1 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 123 students were in the four-year advanced program.

The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 26 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 73 who attend part-time.

The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 9 students in the professional program.

, there were 231 students in Ascona who came from another municipality, while 213 residents attended schools outside the municipality.

Crime
In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in the Swiss Criminal Code (running from murder, robbery, and assault to accepting bribes and election fraud), in Ascona was 64.4 per thousand residents, slightly lower than the national average (64.6 per thousand). During the same period, the rate of drug crimes was 5.5 per thousand residents. This rate is lower than average, only 48.2% of the rate in the district, 62.5% of the rate in the canton, and 55.6% of the national rate. The rate of violations of immigration, visa and work permit laws was 1.7 per thousand residents. This rate is lower than average, 47.2% of the rate in the canton and 34.7% of the rate for the entire country.

Notable people

 * Dimitri (1935 in Ascona – 2016), a Swiss clown and mime artist
 * Daniela Ambrosoli (born 1941 in Ascona), a Swiss entrepreneur, philanthropist, and film director
 * Bruno Bisang (born 1952 in Ascona), a Swiss fashion photographer
 * Paolo Duca (born 1981 in Ascona), a Swiss former professional ice hockey player
 * Brigitte Helm (1906 – 1996 in Ascona), German actress who fled Nazi Germany for Switzerland and died in Ascona
 * Gaetano Matteo Pisoni (1713 in Ascona – 1782), an Italian architect, worked in a Late Baroque manner
 * Marianne von Werefkin (1860 – 1938 in Ascona), a Russian-German-Swiss Expressionist painter, lived in Ascona from 1918
 * Anthony van Hoboken (1887–1983), a musical collector, bibliographer, and musicologist; lived in Ascona 1951 to 1977
 * Wladimir Vogel (1896–1984), a Swiss composer of German and Russian extraction, lived in Ascona 1939-1964
 * Gregor Wentzel (1898–1978 in Ascona), a German physicist known for development of quantum mechanics, lived in Ascona from 1970

title: Ascona


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Van Hilleary

William Vanderpool "Van" Hilleary (born June 20, 1959) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Tennessee's 4th congressional district from 1995 to 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and career
Hilleary was born in Dayton, Tennessee, the seat of Rhea County, and raised in nearby Spring City, where his family operated a textile manufacturing concern. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1981 where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He participated in the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Tennessee and served on active duty from 1982 to 1984 and has been a member of the Air Force Reserve since that time. Hilleary graduated from the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama in 1990. He served two volunteer tours of duty during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. While in the Gulf War, Hilleary flew 24 missions as a navigator on C-130 aircraft.

Campaigns
Following his return from the Middle East, he entered a race for the Tennessee State Senate in 1992. His opponent was Anna Belle Clement O'Brien, younger sister and political confidante of the late former governor of Tennessee Frank G. Clement. While Hilleary was defeated, he ran such a competitive race that he was recruited to enter the Republican primary in 1994 for the Fourth Congressional District. This seat was open as incumbent six-term Democrat Jim Cooper retired to run for the United States Senate. Hilleary easily won the Republican primary and faced Democratic nominee Jeff Whorley, a former aide to Cooper, in the general election. It was the first serious bid the Republicans had made for the district since its creation after the 1980 census. Hilleary won by a 14-point margin. Even considering the massive Republican tide that swept through the state that year, Hilleary's convincing win came as something of a surprise.

On paper, the 4th District was not regarded as safe for either party. It stretched from the Virginia border in East Tennessee to the Mississippi border in Middle Tennessee. Prior to Cooper's election in 1982, much of the district's eastern portion had not been represented by a Democrat since before the Civil War. However, its configuration made it very difficult to unseat an incumbent in a normal election year. Then, as now, the district covers five television markets (the Tri-Cities, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville and Huntsville, Alabama) and two time zones. Frequently, advertising budgets in the 4th rival those for statewide races. Continuing this pattern, Hilleary was reelected three times from this district without much difficulty, and actually increased his margin each time; his 56 percent in 1994 would be the lowest margin of his congressional career. He even won easily in 1996 even as Bill Clinton carried the district in the presidential election mainly on the strength of Al Gore's presence on the ticket; Gore had represented much of the western portion of the district in Congress from 1977 to 1983.

Tenure
Hilleary had a conservative voting record. For instance, Hilleary was opposed to any form of a state income tax, which was a major issue in the state legislature at the time. In each of his three subsequent Congressional races, Hilleary won with an increasing margin. Due to the 4th's configuration, Hilleary also became known over a large portion of the state.

2002 Tennessee gubernatorial election
Hilleary was considered a logical choice for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2002, withstanding a challenge from the party's moderate wing made by Jim Henry, former minority leader in the Tennessee House of Representatives and former mayor of Kingston. Henry's race was largely supported and financed by members of the inner circle of unpopular outgoing GOP governor Don Sundquist, a fact resented by many grassroots activists, and Hilleary defeated him by a wide margin.

Hilleary's opponent in the general election was Phil Bredesen, a multimillionaire former mayor of Nashville. Bredesen had run for governor in 1994 and lost to Sundquist. At first, Bredesen agreed to be bound by a relatively new Tennessee state law limiting the amount of money one could contribute to one's own campaign for elective office. However, the state attorney general subsequently issued an opinion that such a law was unconstitutional and hence unenforceable, as the United States Supreme Court had previously ruled a similar federal law with regard to federal campaigns. This freed Bredesen to use his considerable wealth to self-finance his campaign. Faced with huge and potentially overwhelming resources against him, Hilleary reversed his previous position on PACs and began to actively solicit donations from them.

One of the major issues of the race was TennCare, the huge state-supported managed care program that had supplanted Medicaid in Tennessee. Hilleary displayed a high level of knowledge about this issue in a debate between the two, despite the fact that Bredesen had made most of his fortune as a managed health care executive. However, polling seemed to indicate that one of the major factors with public support of Bredesen was his knowledge of this issue. Bredesen was also a moderate Democrat; Republican charges against "ultra-liberal Democrats" could not be made to stick to him with any real degree of success. Another problem for Hilleary was that Bredesen showed himself able to raise support in East Tennessee (Hilleary's home region) far more readily than could previous Democratic candidates, especially considering that Bredesen was from Nashville. In addition, questions were raised regarding Hilleary's performance as a member of the House Budget Committee.

Hilleary nonetheless received over 48% of the vote. Bredesen defeated him largely by doing far better than expected in heavily Republican East Tennessee, an area where Democrats are not normally competitive except in statewide landslides. For instance, Bredesen carried Knox County, the largest county in East Tennessee, by a few hundred votes; in contrast, George W. Bush won Knox County two years later by over 40,000 votes.

2006 Senate campaign
Hilleary was a candidate for the United States Senate seat then held by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who did not run for re-election, fulfilling his promise to not to serve more than two terms when first elected in 1994.

Despite over 80% name recognition, Hilleary placed a distant third with a mere 17% of the vote in the primary, behind fellow former Congressman Ed Bryant, who received 34% and the winner, former Chattanooga mayor Bob Corker, who won with a 48% plurality. Surprisingly, Hilleary lost 13 of the 22 counties in his old district. Hilleary endorsed Corker for the general election.

Consultant
Shortly after the November 2004 election, Hilleary moved his family to Murfreesboro, just outside Nashville. He now lives there primarily on weekends and through the week was employed as a consultant in Washington, D.C. until December 2018.

According to a disclosure of personal finances from 2004 and part of 2005, as required by his 2006 Senate candidacy, Hilleary made $300,000 in salary in 2004 from Washington lobbying firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, and more than $150,000 in salary from the firm through August 12, 2005.

One of his clients was the Lumbee Indian Tribe of North Carolina, which was seeking federal status from Congress and $77 million in funding for education, health care and economic development that would come with recognition. The tribe was recognized in 1956, but was not awarded the same monetary benefits given to other American Indian groups. Another client was Pennsylvania House Speaker John M. Perzel. Other clients listed by Hilleary included the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Balfour Ventures, Federal-Mogul Corporation, L-3 Communications, SMS Holdings Corp. and VPI Technologies.

Later congressional staff work
On December 11, 2018, it was announced that Hilleary would be returning to Congress as the Chief of Staff for John Rose, Representative-elect for Tennessee's 6th congressional district, which contains much of the territory that he had once represented.

Electoral history
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1994, write-ins received 4 votes. In 1996, Preston T. Spaulding received 561 votes and write-ins received 5 votes. In 1998, write-ins received 23 votes. In 2000, write-ins received 5 votes.

title: Van Hilleary


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Park City Jazz Festival

Park City Jazz Festival is a jazz festival held at the Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. Artists featured at the festival have included Papa Grows Funk and Esperanza Spalding.

title: Park City Jazz Festival


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Harry Gant

Harold Phil Gant (born January 10, 1940), known for his many nicknames such as "the Bandit", "High Groove Harry", "Hard Luck Harry", "Mr. September", and perhaps mostly as "Handsome Harry", is a retired American stock car racing driver best known for driving the No. 33 Skoal Bandit car on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series circuit during the 1980s and 1990s and his 4-race win streak in 1991.

Nicknames
Gant gained a lot of nicknames throughout his racing career. Early on, "Sug" Thompson, announcer at New Asheville Speedway, nicknamed Harry "The Taylorsville Flash". He was later known as "Handsome Harry Gant" due to his Hollywood-style good looks, the "Bandit" after his longtime sponsor Skoal Bandit, "Mr. September" after winning four consecutive Winston Cup races and two Busch Series races in September 1991, "High Groove Harry" after the high line he often took through the corner, and "Hard Luck Harry" for numerous second place finishes in the beginning of his career and later numerous mechanical failures and crashes not of his own doing while leading or running well with Mach I racing.

Career prior to Winston Cup
The North Carolina native began his racing career at the old dirt track in Hickory. He built a hobby class car with his friends, and took turns behind the wheel. Gant became the full-time driver and won the track championship. Hickory Speedway was paved in 1967 after Ned Jarrett became the promoter. Gant excelled on the asphalt, and won his first race in the sportsman division.

He won over 300 races with the car builder and crew chief Kenneth H. Sigmon, in the NASCAR Sportsman on his way to winning three national championships, in 1972, 1973, and 1974. He finished second three times in the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division in 1969, 1976, and 1977. He finished in the top 10 of the final points standing in several other years.

He sold half of his construction business in 1979 upon deciding to race full-time in the Winston Cup Series.

Winston Cup career
Gant made his first Cup start in 1973 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, finishing eleventh in the No. 90 Ford for Donlavey Racing despite initially not being interested in the opportunity. He made six starts over the next four years and had two top-ten finishes. His first full season in Winston Cup was in 1979. He competed for the rookie of the year honors against Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte. He finished fourth in the overall rookie battle in the No. 47 Race Hill Farm car for Jack Beebe. He split the next season between the No. 47 and the No. 75 RahMoc Enterprises entry, finishing 21st in points.

After starting out the 1981 season driving for various teams, he moved to the No. 33 Skoal Bandit Pontiac, which was owned by Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds, and Leo Jackson after 1988. Gant debuted with the team by placing second at Darlington Raceway, followed by five more second-place finishes and three poles, ending the season third in points standings. He stayed with the team for the rest of his career.

Gant finished second 10 times before winning his first Winston Cup race, at Martinsville April 25, 1982, in the Virginia National Bank 500 and he finished fourth in the final points standings. In 1983, Gant only won once at Darlington in the Transouth 400 and collect 10 top 5s and 16 top ten finishes en route to seventh in the final points standings. In 1984, Harry Gant notched 3 poles, 15 top five finishes, and 23 top ten finishes and won at Pocono and Martinsville in the fall, he ended up finishing second to eventual Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte. In 1985, Gant won at Martinsville in the spring, and at Dover and at North Wilkesboro in the fall, notching a career best for Gant up to that point. He finished third in championship standings, 259 points behind eventual champion Darrell Waltrip. Gant went winless for three years from 1986-1988 and in 1989, he broke a three-year winless streak winning at Darlington in the spring which caused the veteran driver to exclaim "The Bandit is back" in victory lane. He did not win again in 1989 but finished seventh in the final points standings.

Gant won the International Race of Champions (IROC) championship in 1985. He tied on points with Darrell Waltrip but was awarded the title on tiebreak by finishing higher in the final race: a photo-finish win over Labonte at Michigan International Speedway

Gant drove the No. 33 in the 1985 Talladega NASCAR race with the first telemetry data system ever installed on a race car. The data from the car was sent to the CBS television network and broadcast during the TV coverage of the race.

1990s and Mr. September streak
Harry Gant entered the decade with a win at Pocono in the spring of 1990. He finished 17th in the final points standings, with 6 top 5s and 9 top 10s. In 1991, Gant had a career year. He won the 1991 Winston 500 in the spring, gambling on fuel mileage. Fellow competitor Rick Mast drafted behind Gant to give him a push the last few laps but let off in the final laps to preserve the victory. Gant earned the nickname "Mr. September" in 1991 after winning all four September Cup races (Darlington, Richmond, Dover and Martinsville) and two Busch races (Richmond and Dover) at age 51. His crew chief was Andy Petree. The four consecutive cup victories tied the modern era record set in 1972. Dominating at the next race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Gant had his brakes fail, ending his hopes of five consecutive victories. Gant scored 5 victories in 1991, also notching 15 top-five finishes and 17 top tens, and finishing fourth in the final point standings. Gant followed up 1991 with a strong 1992 and finished 4th in points again. One of five drivers in contention for the championship, six finishes of 13th or worse in the final races doomed his championship hopes. Gant won at Dover in the spring, and he scored his last Cup victory on August 16, 1992, at the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan International Speedway, gambling on fuel. This was also the final victory for Oldsmobile in Cup competition. Harry Gant and the Leo Jackson team switched to Chevrolets in 1993, and at the end of the season, Gant announced that 1994 would be his last season. Gant finished his career with a pole and seven top-ten finishes, finishing 25th in the final point standings.

In 1996, Gant substituted for the injured Bill Elliott in the 1996 Winston Select, driving Elliott's No. 94 McDonald's Ford Thunderbird after Elliott's injuries at Talladega. Gant also ran a partial season in the Craftsman Truck Series in 1996, driving his own No. 33 Westview Capital Chevrolet C/K. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame on April 27, 2006.

Currently, Gant continues to work on his 300-acre ranch in North Carolina and enjoys riding his motorcycle. In 2015, he was in attendance at Darlington for the Southern 500 to take part in the retro weekend. He also still works on roofs and carpentry in his spare time. Gant once admitted that he "was a good race-car driver but a great carpenter."

Cup records
He holds the record as the oldest driver ever to win a Cup Series race (52 years, 231 days) and as the oldest driver ever to collect his first career Cup victory (42 years and 105 days). He is the second oldest driver to win in NASCAR's second-level circuit, now known as the Xfinity Series, after Dick Trickle. In his career he has collected 18 Cup wins and one runner-up finish in 1984 and third in 1981 and 1985, 21 Busch Series wins, and three runner-up finishes in the Busch Series championship (69, 76, and 77). In 1985 won the IROC title. He won four races in a row in 1991 tying a "new era" (1972–present) record and came in second in the fifth race. His five Winston Cup and five Busch Grand National wins in 1991 made him the only driver, at that time, to post the most wins in both series in the same year, although he tied with Davey Allison with five Cup wins (Allison also scored a victory in the non-points All-Star Race).

Movie appearances
He appeared in the 1983 Burt Reynolds movie Stroker Ace. He also gave a short interview in the film Days of Thunder and was mentioned for spinning out in the Daytona 500 late in the movie (although it was actually the No. 26 of Brett Bodine). He also appeared as a mob henchman in the 1984 movie Cannonball Run II. His line in the film was "Better not let the boss hear you say that."

NASCAR
(key) ( Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. )

International Race of Champions
(key) ( Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led. )

title: Harry Gant


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User:Neria

My name is Neria, and I write at the Hebrew Wikipedia.

I am Israeli.

title: User:Neria


text:
The Tyrones

The Tyrones were an American rock and roll group, formed in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The group was run by Tyrone DeNittis and featured George Lesser. Their hit songs included "Blast Off" and "I'm Shook", and they appeared singing "Blast Off" in the film Let's Rock. Sponsored in part by Bill Haley, the Tyrones recorded a number of Haley/Comets-written songs. It is also believed that several Comets including Frank Beecher took part in the recording sessions, which were later "cleaned up" by Johnny Grande and Billy Williamson. DeNittis' brother, Al Dean, briefly joined the Comets as sax player in 1960. He may also have recorded with the Tyrones.

The band's music was used in the soundtracks of the films The Iron Giant and Pink Flamingos.

Discography

 * "The Campus Rock"/"(She Wants) Candy And Flowers" Wing Records single #90072 (1956)
 * "My Rock 'N' Roll Baby"/"Year Round Love" Mercury Records single #70939 (1956)
 * "Pink Champagne"/"Street of Memories" Mercury Records single #71104 (1957)
 * "Broke Down Baby"/"Giggles" Decca Records single #30559 (1958)
 * "Blast Off"/"I'm Shook" Decca Records single #30643 (1958)
 * "Bring Back"/"My Love" Dahlia Records single #1001 (1959)

Filmography

 * Let's Rock (1958)

title: The Tyrones


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Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery

Sodom is an obscene Restoration closet drama, published in 1684. The work has been attributed to John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, though its authorship is disputed. Determining the date of composition and attribution are complicated owing mostly to misattribution of evidence for and against Rochester's authorship in Restoration and later texts.

Plot
The play consists of five acts in rhyming couplets. There are two prologues, two epilogues and a short final speech. The play begins with Bolloxinion, King of Sodom, authorising same-sex sodomy as an acceptable sexual practice within the realm. General Buggeranthos reports that this policy is welcomed by the soldiers, who spend less on prostitutes as a consequence, but has deleterious effects on women of the kingdom who have recourse to "dildoes and dogs". Prince Pricket and Princess Swivia commit incest with one another. With the court and country reduced to erotic madness, the court physician counsels: "Fuck women, and let Bugg'ry be no more". The king himself, however is unconvinced, while the Queen dies of venereal disease. Amid the appearance of demons, fire, and brimstone, Bolloxinion declares his intention to retire to a cavern and die in the act of sodomising his favourite – Pockenello.

Cast

 * Bolloxinion – King of Sodom
 * Cuntigratia – his Queen
 * Pricket – young Prince
 * Swivia – Princess
 * Buggeranthos – General of the Army
 * Pockenello – Prince and favourite of the King
 * Borastus – Buggermaster-General
 * Pene & Tooly – Pimps of Honour
 * Officina – Maid of Honour
 * Fuckadilla – Maid of Honour
 * Cunticulla – Maid of Honour
 * Clytoris – Maid of Honour
 * Flux – Physician to the King
 * Vertuso – Dildo- and Merkin-Maker for the Court

Interpretation
Sodom merits attention not just as an historical piece of scabrous literature, but also as a disguised satire on the court of Charles II and especially of his apparent willingness to tolerate Catholicism in England at a time when that religion was officially proscribed. Written presumably at the time of Charles's 1672 Declaration of Indulgence (which promulgated official toleration of Catholics and others), Sodom delineates in its racy plot a king much like Charles whose insistence on promoting his sexual preference for sodomy can be read as an analogue to the debate in England at the time about the king's real motive in pushing religious toleration.

Performance history
Sodom is popularly classified as closet drama, which means it has not had a major performance for centuries. The play was publicly performed in 1986 for six weekends at Broom Street Theater in Madison, Wisconsin. Sodom was revived at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2011 by the Movement Theatre Company, in what is described as a "reconstructed" version.

Modern media
In the film The Libertine, Johnny Depp, as Rochester, is seen staging Sodom in front of an outraged Charles II, with Rochester taking the role of the King of Sodom.


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Tahiti national football team

The Tahiti men's national football team (French: Équipe de football de Tahiti) represents French Polynesia   and is controlled by the Fédération Tahitienne de Football. The team consists of a selection of players from French Polynesia, not just Tahiti, and has competed in the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) since 1990.

Tahiti is traditionally one of the stronger footballing nations of the Pacific Islands, with the second-best record at the football section of the South Pacific Games, with five victories. They were runners-up in the first three instalments of the Nations Cup (1973, 1980 and 1996). The nation went through a period of less success, but showed promise when it qualified for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. This success was followed up with the title of 2012 OFC Nations Cup, becoming the first team other than Australia and New Zealand to win the competition. Tahiti thus qualified to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup held in Brazil.

History
Tahiti played its first full match on 21 September 1952, at home against New Zealand, drawing 2–2. Seven days later, the two teams played again and New Zealand won 5–3. On 30 September, they played each other for a third time, and Tahiti gained its first victory, by 2–0. However, it is unknown whether this was a full international match.

In September 1953, Tahiti played three matches in New Caledonia against its national side, losing the first 5–0 and the later two 4–1. They then travelled to the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) and beat its national side 4–2 twice. In 1969, touring World Champions England beat Tahiti 4–1 in an exhibition match. In 1989, under the leadership of Napoleon Spitz, the official federation was created.

Tahiti entered its first World Cup qualification with the aim of reaching the 1994 World Cup, held in the United States. They were placed in Group A alongside Australia and the Solomon Islands, and played their first match away to the Solomon Islands in Honiara on 11 July 1992. Eric Etaeta equalised for Tahiti to make it 1–1 in the 76th minute. On 11 September, Tahiti hosted Australia in Papeete and lost 3–0. The next fixture was again against Australia, and resulted in a 2–0 away defeat in Brisbane on 20 September. On 9 October, in Papeete, Tahiti defeated the Solomon Islands 4–2. Tahiti's first goal was scored as an 8th-minute penalty from Reynald Temarii, a politician and current president of the OFC. However, Tahiti finished second to Australia in the group and did not advance.

2012 OFC Nations Cup
In 2012, the new edition of the tournament occurred in the Solomon Islands with the host country, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Tahiti, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa (winner of the qualifying tournament) playing the competition. Tahiti defeated New Caledonia in the final in Lawson Tama Stadium 1–0 with a goal by Steevy Chong Hue and became the first team other than Australia (no longer part of OFC) and New Zealand to be crowned Oceania champions.

2013 Confederations Cup
By winning the 2012 OFC Nations Cup, Tahiti qualified for the 2013 Confederations Cup, held in Brazil, for the first time. Tahiti is the first – and, following the tournament's abolition, only – team which participated in the Confederations Cup but has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. On 17 June 2013, Tahiti lost 1–6 to Nigeria in the 2013 Confederations Cup in Belo Horizonte, with Jonathan Tehau scoring the goal for Tahiti in the second half with a header from a corner; Tahiti fans still rejoiced in the prospect of scoring a goal in an international tournament. On 20 June, Tahiti lost 10–0 against Spain to equal their largest ever lost against New Zealand nine years earlier. On 23 June 2013, Tahiti was beaten 8–0 by Uruguay.

In all, Tahiti conceded 24 goals and scored 1 to end with a goal differential of −23, the worst of any national team in any major competition. However, even with the poor record and heavy defeats, Tahiti's underdog qualities gathered significant respect from the people of Brazil, who always cheered for them in every match. Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque, and strikers Fernando Torres and David Villa – who scored four and three goals respectively against Tahiti – complimented the team's fair play.

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)
After two matches canceled due to COVID-19, the Tahitians returned to the qualifying tournament for the World Cup in Qatar. The Toa Aito lost to Solomon Islands and finished second in Group A. Solomon Islands led in the score in the 20th minute, the Tahitians equalized the score when Alvin Tehau scored in the 26th minute. Solomon Islands then made the difference on the return from the half on a lightning counterattack before taking the lead more widely at the end of the match 1–3.

Rivalries
A historical sporting rivalry exists between the two French Pacific overseas collectivities, Tahiti and New Caledonia. They compete regularly in regional and, since 2006, international competitions. In 2012, Tahiti led the number of titles won (1 Oceania Nations Cup, 5 gold medals at the South Pacific Games, 2 at the South Pacific mini-games, against 6 gold at the South Pacific Games for New Caledonia). As of their last match in 2018, out of the 62 matches played since 1953, the New Caledonia has 28 wins against 25 for Tahiti and 9 draws.

Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Coaching history

 * Freddy Vernaudon (1973)
 * Richard Vansam (1980)
 * François Ferez (1992)
 * Bernard Vahirua (1992)
 * 🇮🇹 Umberto Mottini (1995–1996)
 * Gerard Kautai (1996)
 * Richard Vansam (1997)
 * Alain Rousseau (1998)
 * 🇦🇺 Leon Gardikiotis (1999–2000)
 * 🇫🇷 Patrick Jacquemet (2001–2003)
 * Gerard Kautai (2004–2007)
 * Eddy Etaeta (2010–2015)
 * 🇫🇷 Ludovic Graugnard (2015–2018)
 * Naea Bennett (2018–2019)
 * Samuel Garcia (2019–present)

Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup.

Caps and goals correct as of 30 June 2024, after the match against .

Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up to the Tahiti squad within the last twelve months.

Player records

 * Players in bold are still active with Tahiti.

Honours

 * OFC Nations Cup
 * [[File:Med 1.png]] Champions (1): 2012
 * [[File:Med 2.png]] Runner-up (3): 1973, 1980, 1996
 * [[File:Med 3.png]] Third place (2): 2002, 2024
 * Pacific Games
 * [[File:Med 1.png]] Champions (5): 1966, 1975, 1979, 1983, 1995

Historical kits
Sources:

title: Tahiti national football team


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IM Pegasi

IM Pegasi is a variable binary star system approximately 329 light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus. With an apparent magnitude of 5.7, it is visible to the naked eye. Increased public awareness of it is due to its use as the guide star for the Gravity Probe B general relativity experiment. It was chosen for this purpose because its microwave radio emissions are observable with a large radio telescope network on the ground in such a manner that its precise position can be related by interferometry to distant quasars.

The two components of the binary system includes a K-type giant star and a G-type main sequence star. The primary star is estimated to be 1.8 times as massive and 13 times the diameter of the Sun. The secondary star is estimated to be similar to the Sun in size and mass. They orbit their common barycenter in a period precisely estimated to be 24.64877 days.

The variability of IM Pegasi is due to the active chromosphere of the giant primary star, which causes brightness changes of a few tenths of a magnitude as it rotates.

title: IM Pegasi