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Allen's rule

Allen's rule is an ecogeographical rule formulated by Joel Asaph Allen in 1877, broadly stating that animals adapted to cold climates have shorter and thicker limbs and bodily appendages than animals adapted to warm climates. More specifically, it states that the body surface-area-to-volume ratio for homeothermic animals varies with the average temperature of the habitat to which they are adapted (i.e. the ratio is low in cold climates and high in hot climates).

Explanation
Allen's rule predicts that endothermic animals with the same body volume should have different surface areas that will either aid or impede their heat dissipation.

Because animals living in cold climates need to conserve as much heat as possible, Allen's rule predicts that they should have evolved comparatively low surface area-to-volume ratios to minimize the surface area by which they dissipate heat, allowing them to retain more heat. For animals living in warm climates, Allen's rule predicts the opposite: that they should have comparatively high ratios of surface area to volume. Because animals with low surface area-to-volume ratios would overheat quickly, animals in warm climates should, according to the rule, have high surface area-to-volume ratios to maximize the surface area through which they dissipate heat.

In animals
Though there are numerous exceptions, many animal populations appear to conform to the predictions of Allen's rule. The polar bear has stocky limbs and very short ears that are in accordance with the predictions of Allen's rule. In 2007, R.L. Nudds and S.A. Oswald studied the exposed lengths of seabirds' legs and found that the exposed leg lengths were negatively correlated with Tmaxdiff (body temperature minus minimum ambient temperature), supporting the predictions of Allen's rule. J.S. Alho and colleagues argued that tibia and femur lengths are highest in populations of the common frog that are indigenous to the middle latitudes, consistent with the predictions of Allen's rule for ectothermic organisms. Populations of the same species from different latitudes may also follow Allen's rule.

R.L. Nudds and S.A. Oswald argued in 2007 that there is poor empirical support for Allen's rule, even if it is an "established ecological tenet". They said that the support for Allen's rule mainly draws from studies of single species, since studies of multiple species are "confounded" by the scaling effects of Bergmann's rule and alternative adaptations that counter the predictions of Allen's rule.

J.S. Alho and colleagues argued in 2011 that, although Allen's rule was originally formulated for endotherms, it can also be applied to ectotherms, which derive body temperature from the environment. In their view, ectotherms with lower surface area-to-volume ratios would heat up and cool down more slowly, and this resistance to temperature change might be adaptive in "thermally heterogeneous environments". Alho said that there has been a renewed interest in Allen's rule due to global warming and the "microevolutionary changes" that are predicted by the rule.

In humans

Marked differences in limb lengths have been observed when different portions of a given human population reside at different altitudes. Environments at higher altitudes generally experience lower ambient temperatures. In Peru, individuals who lived at higher elevations tended to have shorter limbs, whereas those from the same population who inhabited the more low-lying coastal areas generally had longer limbs and larger trunks.

Katzmarzyk and Leonard similarly noted that human populations appear to follow the predictions of Allen's rule. :494 There is a negative association between body mass index and mean annual temperature for indigenous human populations, :490 meaning that people who originate from colder regions have a heavier build for their height and people who originate from warmer regions have a lighter build for their height. Relative sitting height is also negatively correlated with temperature for indigenous human populations, :487–88 meaning that people who originate from colder regions have proportionally shorter legs for their height and people who originate from warmer regions have proportionally longer legs for their height.

In 1968, A.T. Steegman investigated the assumption that Allen's rule caused the structural configuration of the face of human populations adapted to polar climate. Steegman did an experiment that involved the survival of rats in the cold. Steegman said that the rats with narrow nasal passages, broader faces, shorter tails and shorter legs survived the best in the cold. Steegman said that the experimental results had similarities with the Arctic Mongoloids, particularly the Eskimo and Aleut, because these have similar morphological features in accordance with Allen's rule: a narrow nasal passage, relatively large heads, long to round heads, large jaws, relatively large bodies, and short limbs.

Allen's rule may have also resulted in wide noses and alveolar and/or maxillary prognathism being more common in human populations in warmer regions, and the opposite in colder regions.

Mechanism
A contributing factor to Allen's rule in vertebrates may be that the growth of cartilage is at least partly dependent on temperature. Temperature can directly affect the growth of cartilage, providing a proximate biological explanation for this rule. Experimenters raised mice either at 7 degrees, 21 degrees or 27 degrees Celsius and then measured their tails and ears. They found that the tails and ears were significantly shorter in the mice raised in the cold in comparison to the mice raised at warmer temperatures, even though their overall body weights were the same. They also found that the mice raised in the cold had less blood flow in their extremities. When they tried growing bone samples at different temperatures, the researchers found that the samples grown in warmer temperatures had significantly more growth of cartilage than those grown in colder temperatures.

title: Allen's rule


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Soviet of the Union

The Soviet of the Union (Сове́т Сою́за, Sovet Soyuza) was the lower chamber of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, elected on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage in accordance with the principles of Soviet democracy, and with the rule that each deputy would represent the same number of voters. Under the 1936 Soviet Constitution, there was one deputy for every 300,000 people; this was changed by the 1977 Soviet Constitution, which provided that both chambers would have an equal number of members. Although the party gave general guidelines on nominations, such as the ratio of the social composition of the nominees, much of the work was left to local bodies and people's representatives. As opposed to the upper chamber, the Soviet of Nationalities, the Soviet of the Union represented the interests of all of the people of the Soviet Union no matter what their nationality was.

The Soviet of the Union had the same rights and competence as the Soviet of Nationalities, including the right for legislative initiative. In practice, until 1989, it did little more than approve decisions already made by the top leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. After the 1989 elections–the first, and as it turned out, only, free elections ever held in the Soviet Union–the Soviet of the Union acquired a much greater role, and was the scene of many lively debates.

The Soviet of the Union elected a chairman (who would lead the sessions of the chamber), his four deputies and permanent commissions: Mandates, Legislative Proposals, Budget Planning, Foreign Affairs, Youth Affairs, Industry, Transportation and Communications, Construction and Industry of Building Materials, Agriculture, Consumer goods, Public Education, Healthcare and Social Security, Science and Culture, Trade, Consumer Service and Municipal Economy, Environment.

In 1989, it was reduced to 271 deputies, elected by the Congress of People's Deputies. Its deputies were elected representing territorial electoral districts and public organizations, taking into account the size of the electorate in a Union Republic or region. In 1991, after the August Coup, it was renamed the Soviet (Council) of the Union, with its deputies apportioned by the existing quotas and in coordination with the bodies of power in the Union Republics. It would consider only issues concerning civil rights and other issues that didn't fall under the Soviet of Nationalities. Its decisions would have to be reviewed by the Soviet of Nationalities.

The Soviet of the Union was effectively dissolved on 12 December 1991, two weeks before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union, when the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic recalled its deputies, leaving it without a quorum. The legality of this action was questionable, since the Soviet Constitution did not allow a republic to unilaterally recall its deputies. However, by this time what remained of the Soviet government had been rendered more or less impotent and was thus in no position to object. Following the resignation of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet of the Republics dissolved the Soviet Union on 26 December 1991, thus dissolving the Soviet of the Union as well.

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

title: Soviet of the Union


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Hypertrophic scar

A hypertrophic scar is a cutaneous condition characterized by deposits of excessive amounts of collagen which gives rise to a raised scar, but not to the degree observed with keloids. Like keloids, they form most often at the sites of pimples, body piercings, cuts and burns. They often contain nerves and blood vessels. They generally develop after thermal or traumatic injury that involves the deep layers of the dermis and express high levels of TGF-β.

Cause
Mechanical tension on a wound has been identified as a leading cause for hypertrophic scar formation.

When a normal wound heals, the body produces new collagen fibers at a rate which balances the breakdown of old collagen. Hypertrophic scars are red to brown and thick and may be itchy or painful. They do not extend beyond the boundary of the original wound, but may continue to thicken for up to six months. Hypertrophic scars usually improve over one or two years, but may cause distress due to their appearance or the intensity of the itching; they can also restrict movement if they are located close to a joint.

Some people have an inherited tendency to hypertrophic scarring, for example, those with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome.

Prevention
It is not possible to completely prevent hypertrophic scars, so those with a history of them should inform their doctor or surgeon if they need surgery. For example, pressure garment therapy is a commonly used approach used to try and prevent hypertrophic scarring after a burn, but the effectiveness of this approach is unclear.

Management
Early hypertrophic scars should be treated with applied pressure and massage in the first 1.5–3 months. If necessary, silicone therapy should be applied later. Ongoing hypertrophy may be treated with corticosteroids injections. Surgical revision may be considered after 1 year.

Silicone gel sheeting
Silicone gel sheeting is sometimes used to treat hypertrophic scars. Silicone gel sheets may improve the appearance of scars slightly compared with applying onion extract, and may reduce pain compared with no treatment with silicone gel sheets or pressure garments. It is uncertain whether silicone gel sheets are more effective than other treatment approaches.

Laser therapy
Laser therapy is an approach that has been studied for treating hypertrophic scars. There is not enough evidence to determine if laser therapy is more effective than other treatments or if laser therapy leads to more harm than benefits as compared with no treatment or different kinds of treatment.

Cryosurgery
Cryosurgery, using extreme cold to remove dead tissue, may speed up the healing process from a hypertrophic scar to a flatter, paler one.

title: Hypertrophic scar


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Liniment

Liniment (from linere, meaning "to anoint"), also called embrocation and heat rub, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Some liniments have viscosity similar to that of water; others are lotion or balm; still others are in transdermal patches, soft solid sticks, and sprays. Liniment usually is rubbed in to the skin, which the active ingredients penetrate.

Liniments are typically sold to relieve pain and stiffness, such as from muscular aches and strains, and arthritis. These are typically formulated from alcohol, acetone, or similar quickly evaporating solvents and contain counterirritant aromatic chemical compounds, such as methyl salicylate, benzoin resin, menthol, and capsaicin. They produce a feeling of warmth within the muscle of the area they are applied to, typically acting as rubefacients via a counterirritant effect.

Methyl salicylate, which is the analgesic ingredient in some heat rubs, can be toxic if used to excess. Heating pads are also not recommended for use with heat rubs, because the added warmth may cause overabsorption of the active ingredients.

Notable liniments

 * A.B.C. Liniment was used from approximately 1880 to 1935. It was named for its three primary ingredients: aconite, belladonna, and chloroform.  There were numerous examples of poisoning from the mixture, resulting in at least one death.
 * Amrutanjan is an analgesic balm manufactured by Amrutanjan Healthcare. It was founded in 1893 by journalist and freedom fighter, Kasinathuni Nageswara Rao.
 * Bengay, spelled Ben-Gay before 1995, was developed in France by Dr. Jules Bengué, and brought to America in 1898. It was originally produced by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson.
 * IcyHot is a line of liniments produced and marketed by Chattem, now a subsidiary of Sanofi.
 * Mentholatum Ointment, branded Deep Heat outside of the US, was introduced in December 1894 and is still produced today with numerous variations.
 * Minard's Liniment: Dr. Levi Minard of Nova Scotia, branded as "The King of Pain," created his well-known liniment from camphor, ammonia water, and medical turpentine.
 * Nine oils: a 19th-century preparation used on both horses and humans. Although druggists' books sometimes specified recipes, street doctors often promoted any kind of oil as the "nine oils".
 * Opodeldoc: invented by the Renaissance physician Paracelsus.
 * RUB A535: introduced in 1919 and manufactured by Church & Dwight in Canada.
 * Thermacare: Acquired in 2020 by Italy's Angelini when it was spun off following the merger of Pfizer with GlaxoSmithKline's consumer healthcare division.
 * Tiger Balm was developed during the 1870s in Rangoon, Burma by herbalist Aw Chu Kin, and brought to market by his sons. It is composed of 16% menthol and 28% oil of wintergreen.
 * Watkins Liniment: One of Watkins Incorporated original products.

Use on horses

Liniments are commonly used on horses following exercise, applied either by rubbing on full-strength, especially on the legs; or applied in a diluted form, usually added to a bucket of water and sponged on the body. They are used in hot weather to help cool down a horse after working, the alcohol cooling through rapid evaporation, and counterirritant oils dilating capillaries in the skin, increasing the amount of blood releasing heat from the body.

Many horse liniment formulas in diluted form have been used on humans, though products for horses which contain DMSO are not suitable for human use, as DMSO carries the topical product into the bloodstream. Horse liniment ingredients such as menthol, chloroxylenol, or iodine are also used in different formulas in products used by humans.

Absorbine, a horse liniment product manufactured by W.F. Young, Inc., was reformulated for humans and marketed as Absorbine Jr. The company also acquired other liniment brands including Bigeloil and RefreshMint. The equine version of Absorbine is sometimes used by humans, though, anecdotally, its benefits in humans may be because the smell of menthol releases serotonin, or due to a placebo effect.

Earl Sloan was a US entrepreneur who made his initial fortune selling his father's horse liniment formula beginning in the period following the Civil War. Sloan's liniment, with capsicum as a key ingredient, was also marketed for human use. He later sold his company to the predecessor of Warner–Lambert, which was purchased in 2000 by Pfizer.

title: Liniment


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Guinea (region)

Guinea is a traditional name for the region of the coast of West Africa which lies along the Gulf of Guinea. It is a naturally moist tropical forest or savanna that stretches along the coast and borders the Sahel belt in the north.

Etymology
The etymology of "Guinea" is uncertain. The English term Guinea comes directly from the Spanish word Guinea, which in turn derives from the Portuguese word Guiné. The Portuguese term emerged in the mid-15th century to refer to the lands inhabited by the Guineus, a generic term used by the Portuguese to refer to the "black" African peoples living south of the Senegal River (in contrast to the "tawny" Sanhaja Berbers, north of it, whom they called Azenegues). The term "Guinea" is extensively used in the 1453 chronicle of Gomes Eanes de Zurara. King John II of Portugal took up the title of Senhor da Guiné (Lord of Guinea) from 1481.

It is believed the Portuguese borrowed Guineus from the Berber term Ghinawen (sometimes Arabized as غِنَاوَة Guinauha or Genewah) meaning "the burnt people" (analogous to the Classical Greek Aithiops, "of the burned face"). The Berber terms "aginaw" and "Akal n-Iguinawen" mean "black" and "land of the blacks", respectively. A competing theory, first forwarded by Leo Africanus in 1526, claims that "Guinea" is derived from Djenné (which he refers to as Gheneo, Genni and Ghinea), the great interior commercial city on the Upper Niger River. Djenné dominated the gold and salt trade across West Africa, from the 11th century (fall of Ghana) until the 13th century (when the Mali invasion disrupted its routes and redirected trade to Timbuktu, hitherto just a small Djenné outpost). It is during the period of Djenné dominance that the term Genewah really comes forward into usage in Arab sources (al-Sudan – Arabic for "blacks" – is used more commonly before).

Other theories try to connect "Guinea" to "Ghana", but this is less certain. The Ghana Empire is named after the Medieval trading city of Ghanah mentioned already by 11th-century Arab geographers (e.g. al-Bakri), but it is used distinctly from Genewah by Arab sources (e.g. they would say "Ghanah in the country of Genewah"). Conversely, it remains possible that both Ghana and Djenné themselves owe their original city names to the Berber appellation for the blacks that lived there. A possible reconciliation of the theories is that the Berber Ghinawen (blacks) was the source of the Djenné (city), which in turn gave rise to the Arabic Genewah (land dominated by that city), which finally made it into the Portuguese Guiné.

History
In 1478 (during the War of the Castilian Succession), a Castilian armada of thirty-five caravels and a Portuguese fleet fought the battle of Guinea in the waters off Elmina, for the hegemony of the Guinea trade (gold, ivory and black pepper). The war ended both with a Portuguese naval victory and the official recognition by the Catholic Monarchs of the Portuguese sovereignty over most of the African territories in dispute (Treaty of Alcáçovas, 1479). This was the first of many colonial wars among European powers. After the Portuguese and Castilians came the Dutch, Danes, French, and British.

The extensive trade in ivory, gold, and slaves made the region wealthy, with a number of centralized kingdoms developing in the 18th and 19th centuries. These were much smaller than the large states of the wide-open Sahel, but they had far higher population densities and were more centralized politically. The cohesion of these kingdoms caused the region to show more resistance to European incursions than other areas of Africa. Such resistance, combined with a disease environment hostile to Europeans, meant that much of Guinea was not colonised by Europeans until the very end of the 19th century.

Subdivisions
Guinea is often subdivided into "Lower Guinea" and "Upper Guinea". Lower Guinea is one of the most densely populated regions of Africa, covering southern Nigeria, Benin, Togo and stretching into Ghana. It includes the coastal regions as well as the interior. Upper Guinea is far less densely populated and stretches from Côte d'Ivoire to Senegal. Within the Republic of Guinea, Lower Guinea refers to the country's coastal plain, while Upper Guinea refers to the country's interior.

European traders in the region subdivided the region based on its main exports. The eastern portion around Benin and Nigeria was named the Slave Coast. What is now Ghana was called the (British) Gold Coast, a name later given to a British colony in the area which ultimately absorbed earlier European colonies. West of this was the Ivory Coast, still the name of the nation in that region. Farthest west, the area around modern Liberia and Sierra Leone was referred to as either the Pepper Coast or the Grain Coast.

Countries in the Guinea region

From north to south:
 * Senegal (formerly French)
 * The Gambia (formerly British)
 * Guinea-Bissau (formerly Portuguese Guinea)
 * Guinea (formerly French Guinea)
 * Sierra Leone (British part of the Pepper Coast, originally Province of Freedom)
 * Liberia (from U.S. settlements for ex-slaves on the Pepper Coast)
 * Ivory Coast or Côte d'Ivoire
 * Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast; Danish Guinea, Dutch Guinea, Portuguese Gold Coast (the first), Prussian Gold Coast and Swedish Guinea all ended up absorbed by the British Gold Coast)
 * Togo (formerly Togoland)
 * Benin (Dahomey)
 * Southern Nigeria

title: Guinea (region)


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Praia da Vitória

Praia da Vitória (translating as "Beach of Victory") is a municipality in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. With a population of 21,035 (in 2011), the second largest administrative authority on the island of Terceira, it covers an area of 162.29 km2, that extends from the northern coast halfway into the interior.

History
The area of Praia, was one of the first points colonized on the island of Terceira. Praia constituted the seat of the Donatary-Captaincy of Terceira between 1456 and 1474; the island's first Captain, Jácome de Bruges along with his first lieutenant, Diogo de Teive, established their residency at this site. By 1474, the island was divided into two captaincies (Praia and Angra): the Captaincy of Praia reverted to Álvaro Martins Homem, Bruges' successor. The growth of the woad industry and export wheat market concentrated along the fertile Ramo Grande area, allowed Praia to grow rapidly. Consequently, Praia was elevated to the status of vila (comparable to town) in 1480 (then still within the administration of Álvaro Martins Homem).

By the last quarter of the 16th century, Gaspar Frutuoso (the celebrated Azorean historian), wrote of Praia in these terms: "...and shortly there is the town of Praia, noble and sumptuous and with good buildings, built in a very good style, circled by a good wall, with its forts and bulwarks all around, populated by nobles and older residents, with one of the older settlements of the island, circled by famous and rich farms of nobles and grandiose nobility, with a parish and sumptuous church of three naves, with a vaulted main chapel and porticoes and pillars of well worked marble, all circled by chapels of the grand first-born...its principal invocation is to the Holy Cross...where the house of Mercy and hospital, with two churches, one the hospital of the Holy Spirit and the other to Our Lady, with a nave down the middle...; it's a famous monastery of Saint Francis where there still continue to reside ten or twelve religious, where there are many chapels of the grand first-born similar to the above indicated; three monasteries for nuns, the more principal of the those is to Jesus..., with forty nuns with black veils and two, one of Our Lady of the Light and the other Our Lady of the Stigmata, give obedience and observation to Saint Francis, where there are few religious"

During the Iberian Union, King Philip II of Spain ordered an armada to Terceira to impose the governorship of Ambrósia de Aguiar Coutinho on his unruly subjects in the Azores and facilitate shipping to the Indies. Under the command of Pedro de Valdez, the fleet arrived in Santa Maria with seven large carracks and 1000 troops, took on provisions and sailed for São Miguel in the spring (where Governor Ambrósio de Aguiar Coutinho and his cousin supplied the group). After an initial assault on Angra, Valdez rushed to assault the island, disembarking troops at the Casa da Salga, in the valley of Porto Judeu (a mile from Vila de São Sebastião), incensed that King Phillip was sending a larger contingent to capture Terceira. The Battle of Salga became an important event in the village of São Sebastião (then a parish of Praia) broke out along the coast in 1582.

During the Restoration of Portuguese Independence, the citizenry of Praia acclaimed King John IV, when Francisco Ornelas da Câmara arrived in Terceira.

The settlement was destroyed during the 1614 Caída da Praia earthquake, with many of the residents along the coast lost to the sea. Along the 17th century, even as the community was being re-constructed, there were several seismic aftershocks.

During the Liberal Wars, the harbour was the scene of a naval battle (in 1829) between the Liberals and the Absolutists, competing factions in support of King Pedro IV and King Miguel, respectively, during the Liberal Wars. The Battle of Praia ensued when a squadron of Miguelist troops attempted to disembark at Praia (11 August 1829). As a result of this victory, Queen Maria II after being restored to the throne, acted to recognize its residents for their heroism by appending "Mui Notável" (Very notable) and "da Vitória" (of the Victoria) to its name (12 January 1837): it was at this time that Praia became known as Praia da Vitória.

Its importance in the economy of the north continued, even after the second Caída da Praia earthquake (on 15 June 1841), that partially destroyed the settlement. Its reconstruction, at the end of the 19th century was motivated by councillor José Silvestre Ribeiro. As priest Jerónimo Emiliano de Andrade (who lived in the town at the time), referred to Praia da Vitória: "The traveller who leaves Cabo da Praia is quickly encounters the magnificent and majestic Vila da Praia da Vitória, which is located a short distance, no less than a quarter league ..."

The town was elevated to city on 20 June 1981, although it continued to be referred to as the Vila da Praia da Vitória (until 1983). In the second half of the 20th century, a large aerodrome was constructed along the southwestern side of the Portuguese Air Base No.4. In addition, the port of Praia was expanded to include a 1400-metre extension. These two projects have supported the municipality's growth, along with its large industrial centre.

Geography
Praia da Vitória occupies the northern and eastern coasts of Terceira, bisecting it from northwest to southeast, through a varied geomorphology.

Administratively, the municipality of Praia da Vitória is divided into the following civil parishes, which handle local distribution of services and support the local residents:

 * Agualva
 * Biscoitos
 * Cabo da Praia
 * Fonte do Bastardo
 * Fontinhas
 * Lajes
 * Porto Martins
 * Santa Cruz
 * Quatro Ribeiras
 * São Brás
 * Vila Nova

The urban centre, that includes the parishes of Lajes and Santa Cruz, fronts a ridge known as Facho that overlooks the airport of Lajes. It was used as a lookout for pirates and invaders, and later as marine military semaphore station and primitive lighthouse (lasting for 400 years). Apart from pasture-lands, the ridge was occupied by marine/naval housing and support buildings for Portuguese Air Base 4. At the far end is a monument dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Mary and lookout.

Economy
Praia da Vitória is a services, fishing and agricultural municipality and boasts a large marina, popular with the yachting community, with the only sizeable sand beach on Terceira.

Lajes Air Base, a joint United States and Portuguese air force base, lies three kilometers to the north of the town. American servicemen frequent the restaurants and clubs in the town and add considerably to the local economy.

Architecture
The town boasts two notable churches, several public squares, and a number of hotels and restaurants.

Civic

 * Cocklestove of Boa Vista (Forno da Telha da Boa Vista)
 * Cocklestove of Rua Gervásio Lima (Forno de Telha à Rua Gervásio Lima)
 * Customshouse of Praia da Vitória (Casa da Alfândega)
 * Fountain of Biscoito Bravo (Chafariz do Biscoito Bravo)
 * Fountain of Caminho Novo (Chafariz do Caminho Novo)
 * Fountain of Cruz do Pico (Chafariz da Cruz do Pico)
 * Fountain of Largo Comendador Pamplona (Chafariz do Largo Comendador Pamplona)
 * Fountain of Largo Conde da Praia da Vitória (Chafariz do Largo Conde da Praia da Vitória)
 * Fountain of Largo da Luz (Chafariz do Largo da Luz)
 * Fountain of Ribeira da Areia (Chafariz da Ribeira da Areia)
 * Fountain of Pico da Rocha (Chafariz do Pico da Rocha)
 * Fountain of Largo Francisco Maria Brum (Chafariz do Largo Francisco Maria Brum)
 * Fountain of the Amoreiras (Chafariz das Amoreiras)
 * Fountain of the Barreiro (Chafariz do Barreiro)
 * Fountain of the Caldeira of Lajes (Chafariz da Caldeira das Lajes)
 * Fountain of the Canada da Bezerra (Chafariz da Canada da Bezerra)
 * Fountain of the Cruzeiro (Chafariz do Cruzeiro)
 * Fountain of the Cruzeiro of Lajes (Chafariz do Cruzeiro das Lajes)
 * Fountain of the Fontinhas (Chafariz das Fontinhas)
 * Fountain of the Fundões (Chafariz dos Fundões)
 * Fountain of the Ladeira do Cardoso (Chafariz da Ladeira do Cardoso)
 * Fountain of the Malícias (Chafariz das Malícias)
 * Fountain of the Quatro Canadas (Chafariz das Quatro Canadas)
 * Hospital of the Misericórdia (Hospital da Misericórdia)
 * Hospital of São Lázaro (Hospital de São Lázaro)
 * Municipal Hall of Praia da Vitória (Câmara Municipal da Praia da Vitória)
 * Municipal Market of Praia da Vitóra (Mercado Municipal da Praia da Vitória)
 * Ramo Grande Auditorium (Auditório do Ramo Grande)
 * Residence of Vitorino Nemésio (Casa de Vitorino Nemésio)
 * Residence of Roda (Casa da Roda)
 * Watermill of Rua dos Moinhos (Azenha da Rua dos Moinhos)
 * Watermill of Agualva (Azenha da Ribeira da Agualva)
 * City wall (Muralha), built of volcanic stones on the beach to protect the city against tsunamis and pirates

Military

 * Fort of Chagas (Forte das Chagas)
 * Fort of São João (Forte de São João)
 * Fort of Luz (Forte da Luz)
 * Fort of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré (Forte de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré)
 * Fort of Rua Longa (Forte da Rua Longa)
 * Fort of São Bento (Forte de São Bento)
 * Fort of São Caetano (Forte de São Caetano)
 * Fort of Santa Catarina (Forte de Santa Catarina)
 * Fort of São Filipe (Forte de São Filipe)
 * Fort of Santo Antão (Forte de Santo Antão)
 * Fort of the Espírito Santo (Forte do Espírito Santo), little remains of this 16th century fort situated on the northern edge of the Bay of Praia, which was bombarded and nearly destroyed during the Liberal conflict. Its remnants survived to the 20th century, but were obliterated during the construction and support of the northern pier, even after a Luso-American compromise was established for its recuperation.
 * Fort of the Porto (Forte do Porto)
 * Fort of the Porto of Biscoitos (Forte do Porto dos Biscoitos)
 * Fort Grande (Forte Grande)
 * Post of the Fiscal Guard of Praia da Vitória (Posto Fiscal da Praia da Vitória)

Religious

 * Church of Santa Cruz (Igreja de Santa Cruz)
 * Church of Santa Bárbara (Igreja de Santa Bárbara)
 * Church of Santa Beatriz (Igreja de Santa Beatriz)
 * Church of São José, Santa Luzia e Santa Cruz (Igreja de São José, Santa Luzia, Santa Cruz)
 * Church of Senhor Santo Cristo das Misericórdias (Igreja do Senhor Santo Cristo das Misericórdias)
 * Hermitage of Nossa Senhora do Loreto (Ermida de Nossa Senhora do Loreto)
 * Hermitage of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios (Ermida de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios), located in Santa Cruz, the early 17th century chapel survived the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, but it was only in the second half of the 18th century that any efforts were invested in restoring the chapel. Following the earthquake and effects of the tsunami, parishioners marched through the streets in procession for their deliverance;
 * Hermitage of Santa Catarina (Ermida de Santa Catarina)
 * Hermitage of Santa Rita (Ermida de Santa Rita)
 * Hermitage of Santo António (Ermida de Santo António)
 * Hermitage of São Lázaro (Ermida de São Lázaro)
 * Hermitage of São Salvador (Ermida de São Salvador)
 * Império of the Holy Spirit of Fonte do Bastardo (Império do Espírito Santo da Fonte do Bastardo)
 * Império of the Holy Spirit of Quatro Ribeiras (Império do Espírito Santo das Quatro Ribeiras)
 * Império of the Holy Spirit of Santa Cruz (Império do Espírito Santo de Santa Cruz)
 * Império of the Holy Spirit of São Pedro (Império do Espírito Santo de São Pedro)
 * Império of the Sailors (Império dos Marítimos), built in 1877 by fishermen from the neighbouring island of Pico at Largo José Silvestre Ribeiro Square

Parks
In the municipal park (Jardim municipal) a monument was erected in 1879 in memory of José Silvestre Ribeiro (1807–1891), a Portuguese politician who organized the reconstruction of the city after the earthquake in 1841.

Sport
It is popular with windsurfers because of the constant seabreezes. Praia da Vitoria hosts an annual triathlon and is known for its unique style of bullfighting, tourada à corda.

Notable citizens

 * Álvaro Martins Homem III (c. 1490 in Praia da Vitória – 1535) a nobleman, 3rd Donatary-Captain of Praia da Vitória
 * Alberto del Canto (1547 in Praia da Vitória – 1611) conquistador and explorer of the north of Mexico
 * Alexandre Martins Pamplona Ramos (1864 in Santa Cruz – 1933) a physician and politician.
 * Vitorino Nemésio (1901 in Praia da Vitória – 1978) a poet, author and intellectual
 * Luis Gil Bettencourt (born 1956 in Praia da Vitória) a Portuguese-American musician, songwriter and music producer.
 * Artur Lima (born 1963 in Santa Cruz) a dentist and politician
 * Nuno Bettencourt (born 1966 in Praia da Vitória) a Portuguese-American guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer; lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme

title: Praia da Vitória


text:
Christopher Curry (businessman)

Christopher Curry (born 28 January 1946) is the co-founder of Acorn Computers, with Hermann Hauser and Andy Hopper. He became a millionaire as a result of Acorn's success.

In his early career days, he worked at Pye, Royal Radar Establishment and W.R. Grace Laboratories. Then, in April 1966 he joined Sinclair Radionics where he worked for 13 years. He was involved with their hifi products and their Sinclair C5 electric vehicle. In 1972, he helped Sinclair Radionics to launch its first electronic calculator, the Sinclair Executive. He set up Cambridge Processor Unit Ltd. (CPU) in December 1978. Their first product was the Acorn Microcomputer (later called the System 1).

In 1983, he co-founded Redwood Publishing with Michael Potter and Christopher Ward and they bought the Acorn User title. In 1985, he founded General Information Systems Ltd (GIS) and remains the director. In 2012, he announced his latest project for GIS, Care with Canary.

Early life
Curry went to school initially in St Neots in Cambridgeshire, then later went to the independent Kimbolton School, also in Cambridgeshire. He gained two A levels, in Maths and Physics. He thought about going to university at the University of Southampton, but was keener to be earning some money whilst learning.

Early career
He joined Pye in Cambridge in 1964. He stayed for a few months, then left for the Royal Radar Establishment in Worcestershire. He worked on the radar for the proposed BAC TSR-2. The RRE had been the site of many technological advances such as the integrated circuit in 1952. He stayed for nine months. He moved to the W.R. Grace Laboratories, run by ITT, and stayed for six months.

Sinclair Radionics
In April 1966, Curry joined Sinclair Radionics, a company founded by Clive Sinclair in 1961. Curry was to play an important role in getting Sinclair interested in both calculators and computers in his thirteen years with the company.

Curry was at first involved with Sinclair's hifi products, which included amplifiers and speakers, and he also worked on Sinclair's electric vehicle, a project that would turn into the C5 some years later.

In 1972, Sinclair Radionics launched its first electronic calculator, the Executive, which was considerably smaller than its competitors since it used hearing-aid-sized batteries. Curry and Jim Westwood had discovered that it was possible to exploit persistence in the diode displays and memory and introduced a timer that removed the power from these components for most of the time. This discovery dramatically improved the lasting-power of the batteries.

Until 1976 Sinclair Radionics had enjoyed 15 years of strong turnover and profit growth. However, the company sustained losses related to difficulties with chip supplies for the Black Watch. As a result, there were insufficient internal funds available for the final stages of the pocket TV project Sinclair had been working on for some 10 years. In August 1976 the National Enterprise Board (NEB) provided £650,000 in return for 43 per cent stake in Sinclair Radionics. Sinclair did not like sharing control of his company. Thus, he converted a company he had purchased in 1973, Ablesdeal Ltd, into Westminster Mail Order Ltd, which was itself renamed to Sinclair Instrument Ltd. In this way, he maintained control of his most important projects.

Science of Cambridge
Shortly after the NEB took control Sinclair encouraged Curry to leave Sinclair Radionics to get Sinclair Instruments off the ground. Curry borrowed some money and rented offices at 6 King's Parade, Cambridge. To raise cash, Sinclair Instruments released the Wrist Calculator, designed by John Pemberton, in February 1977. The product was successful, selling 15,000 units.

In July 1977, the company was renamed to Science of Cambridge Ltd. Around the same time Ian Williamson showed Curry a prototype computer based around a National Semiconductor SC/MP and some parts scavenged from a Sinclair Cambridge calculator. Curry was impressed and encouraged Sinclair to adopt this as a product; an agreement was reached with Williamson but no contract was ever signed: Nat Semi had offered to redesign the project so that it used only their components and they also offered to manufacture the boards.

Curry took Nat Semi up on its offer and in June 1978 Science of Cambridge launched a microcomputer kit (marketed as the MK14) based around the National SC/MP chip. Curry wanted to further develop the MK14 but Sinclair was working on the NewBrain. Sinclair's reluctance to develop the MK14 led Curry to consider his options. Throughout the MK14 project he had been discussing it with his friend, physics researcher Hermann Hauser, who had also helped by seeking out advice from the many computer experts on hand in Cambridge University.

Cambridge Processor Unit Ltd
Curry and Hauser had become increasingly interested in the idea of selling their own computers and so, on 5 December 1978, they set up Cambridge Processor Unit Ltd (CPU). Their first customer was Ace Coin Equipment Ltd, who needed controllers for their fruit machines. Hauser and Curry recruited Steve Furber - at the time a Cambridge PhD student who was closely involved with local amateur computer groups - to design the device. Furber would go on to become a key figure at Acorn - leading the design of the BBC Micro (along with Sophie Wilson), and later on the ARM microprocessor.

Acorn Computer
The Acorn Microcomputer (later to be called the System 1) was launched as the first product of a new company, Acorn Computers Ltd, founded in March 1979. Curry said that they "chose the word Acorn because it was going to be an expanding and growth-oriented system".

After becoming a millionaire as a result of Acorn's success with the BBC Micro project, in 1983 Curry co-founded Redwood Publishing with Michael Potter (former publisher of advertising trade weekly Campaign) and Christopher Ward (former editor of Daily Express newspaper). The company bought the Acorn User title.

GIS
At the time of the Olivetti takeover of Acorn in 1985 Curry founded General Information Systems Ltd (GIS), based on Acorn's Communications Group, and he remains a director.

GIS specialises in Smart Card technologies for access control and electronic money. In 2012 he announced his latest project with GIS, Care with Canary, a wireless sensor system that allows family members to remotely monitor relatives living alone and triggers alerts.

title: Christopher Curry (businessman)


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New Zealand men's national football team

The New Zealand men's national football team (Tīma hoka a-motu o Aotearoa; recognised as Aotearoa New Zealand by FIFA ) represents New Zealand in men's international football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Football (NZF), which is currently a member of FIFA and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). The team's official nickname is the All Whites (Ōmā).

The team represented New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup tournaments in 1982 and 2010, and the FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments in 1999, 2003, 2009, and 2017. New Zealand is a six-time OFC Nations Cup champion. New Zealand was the only unbeaten country in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, drawing all three group stage games; nevertheless, they were eliminated in the group stage.

Early years

New Zealand's first international football match was played in Dunedin at the old Caledonian Ground on 23 July 1904 against a team representing New South Wales. New Zealand lost by the game's only goal, but drew with the same team 3–3 in a game at Athletic Park, Wellington seven days later. The following year the team played a Wellington representative side on 10 June before embarking on a tour of Australia, during which they played eleven representative sides, including three "test matches" against New South Wales. Of these three matches they won one, lost one, and drew one.

A New Zealand national team did not play again until 1922, when New Zealand played three official full internationals against Australia, played at Carisbrook in Dunedin, Athletic Park in Wellington, and Auckland Domain. The results were two 3–1 wins to New Zealand and a 1–1 draw in Wellington. In 1927, Canada became the second team to play in New Zealand as they played in four official matches with a win and a draw.

New Zealand would become one of the founder members of the Oceania Football Confederation in 1966 which was founded between Charlie Dempsey and his Australian colleague Jim Bayutti in founding the federation.

Success for España '82
At the beginning of the 1980s, the All Whites were on a good run of consecutive victories, but with the organisation of the 1980 Oceania Cup in New Caledonia, New Zealand ended up having a very disastrous campaign, losing 1–3 and 0–4 for Tahiti and Fiji respectively, and in the last round without a possible qualification for the final, they beat the Solomon Islands by a large score of 6–1. And mainly due to the not very good campaign in this year's Merdeka Tournament, the team did not have a good reputation, according to Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, up until the 1980s "the high visibility of British migrants in the All Whites, as well as in the game's administration and domestic club scene, attracted negative comments". Even so, the team managed to advance to the final phase of the qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup, having a practically perfect campaign without losing a match, highlighted by the 3–3 draw and the 1–0 victory against their team rival Australia, and a great victory against Fiji by the score of 13–0 in the last round to guarantee a place in the next phase. For the last phase, the All Whites competed hard against China PR, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and thanks to a large victory against the Saudis (5–0), they had to compete in a play-off match against the Chinese due to the draw of points and on goal difference, and with decisive goals from Steve Wooddin and Wynton Rufer, they won 2–1, and achieved a historic classification for España '82. In their 1982 FIFA World Cup campaign, they lost all three games conceding 12 goals and scoring just 2. Of the 22-man squad, 11 members were born in the United Kingdom, including seven in England alone. This included the captain Steve Sumner and striker Steve Wooddin, who had both played club football in England before immigrating. However, over the following decades the composition of the national squad changed and "the face of football became increasingly Kiwi".

Consolidation in Oceania
Since the 1990s, United States college soccer has played a significant role in the development of New Zealand players. This influence began when former Scotland international Bobby Clark returned to the US after his 1994–96 stint as New Zealand head coach to take the head coaching job at Stanford University (he now holds the same position at Notre Dame). Clark began recruiting in New Zealand, and former New Zealand national players Ryan Nelsen and Simon Elliott played for him at Stanford. The trend that Clark started has continued to the present; more than two dozen New Zealanders are now playing for NCAA Division I men's programmes in the US. A common next step in these players' career paths is a stint in Major League Soccer; ESPN soccernet journalist Brent Latham speculated in a March 2010 story that New Zealand's 2010 FIFA World Cup squad could have more MLS players than the US squad. However, Latham's speculation did not prove true, as only one MLS player made the New Zealand squad for the World Cup. New Zealand formerly competed against Australia for top honours in the OFC. However, after Australia left to join the AFC in 2006, New Zealand were left as the only seeded team in the OFC. New Zealand qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup though exited the competition after the first round despite being the only team not to lose a game during the tournament because they drew 1–1 vs defending champions Italy, Slovakia and 0–0 vs Paraguay while eventual champions Spain lost to Switzerland. New Zealand notably finished above Italy in their group as Italy lost to Slovakia in their final group match and finished with two points compared to New Zealand's three.

Horror in Honiara and failures towards the World Cup
After a very positive cycle for the All Whites, the team competed for the 2012 OFC Nations Cup as big favourites to win the title, doing well in the group stage, winning the first two games by slim scores (1–0 and 2–1), and a 1–1 draw against the Mandates Salomonense, however in the next phase, they faced New Caledonia in the semi-final, where they suffered a shameful defeat by 0–2, with goals from Bertrand Kaï in the 60th minute, and Georges Gope-Fenepej in the 90+2 minute to seal the defeat which was called "Horror in Honiara". Even beating the Solomon Islands in the play-off for third place, this did not prevent the dismissal of the coach at the time Ricki Herbert, where after this embarrassing defeat, they would also be eliminated in the intercontinental play-off for the 2014 World Cup for Mexico by the score of 3–9 on aggregate.

In August 2014, Anthony Hudson was appointed manager of the All Whites. Hudson's first game in charge of the national team was a 3–1 defeat away to Uzbekistan in September 2014. As a result of the All Whites playing "just three matches" in the previous year, which was "the least of any country in world football", and having "seven months without a match" the All Whites dropped to 161 in the FIFA world rankings. The All Whites went on to win the 2016 OFC Nations Cup, winning four matches with the final being won via a penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw against Papua New Guinea, conceding only 1 goal, from a penalty, in the process. New Zealand's victory saw them crowned Oceania champions making New Zealand the most successful national team in the competition's history, having won the tournament five times, and also saw them qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. The All Whites moved up 54 places in the world rankings in July and achieved 88th in the FIFA world rankings, the highest ranking in three years, on the back of the OFC Nations Cup victory that qualified them for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

After a disappointing tournament at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup where they finished bottom of their group which featured Russia, Mexico and Portugal, the national team fell 27 places to 122nd. In September 2017, New Zealand won the OFC Final against the Solomon Islands with an aggregate score of 8–3 to qualify for the inter-continental play-off qualifier against Peru, the fifth-ranked nation from the South America's qualifiers. After holding Peru off in the first leg, they would go to lose 2–0 in the second leg to be eliminated from competition as Peru became the last team to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Failure for the 2022 World Cup
After the All Whites' stoppage for almost two years, they returned to play friendlies (in 2021), obtaining positive results in their three (four counting against Algeria A') games played in that year. With the complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup had to be held in the host country itself, Qatar, where the Kiwis managed to win all the games, as well as breaking artillery records, when the forward Chris Wood, became the All Whites' top scorer, after scoring twice against Fiji, surpassing the previous record holder, Vaughan Coveny.

With the continental victory, they qualified for the inter-confederation play-offs, where they disputed the vacancy against Costa Rica. They started by conceding a goal in the 3rd minute of the game to Joel Campbell, but New Zealand began to pressure the game a lot, and in the 39th minute of the game, Chris Wood scored a goal after a bad kick by Yeltsin Tejeda. However, his goal was disallowed when the video assistant referee (VAR) showed that Matthew Garbett had fouled Óscar Duarte before the goal. With the final whistle of the game, the New Zealanders failed to qualify for the cup, which was their third consecutive elimination in the inter-confederation play-offs. They were eliminated by Mexico in 2014, by Peru in 2018, and by Costa Rica in this 2022 edition. After the qualifiers, the All Whites played a home and away series against their rivals Socceroos to mark the 100th anniversary of the first meeting between the two nations, which was first played in Dunedin in 1922.

Kit
New Zealand's traditional home colours are white with a black trim, while its away kits are usually reversed, featuring black with a white trim. This reversal of the colour scheme by New Zealand's football team is due to the fact that black was traditionally reserved for referees by FIFA.

Nickname
During the qualification for the 1982 FIFA World Cup, the team appeared for the first time in an all white uniform against Taiwan in 1981. This led a commentator to dub them the "All Whites", a play on the traditional name "All Blacks" used for the national rugby team. The name stuck, and was popularised in the song "Marching off to Spain" with its chant refrain "Kiwis! All Whites!". More recently, the nickname has been scrutinised by New Zealand Football due to its unintended racial overtones.

Rivalries
New Zealand's long time rivals are Trans-Tasman neighbours Australia. The two teams' history dates back to 1922, where they first met in both their international debuts. The rivalry between the Socceroos (Australia) and the All Whites (New Zealand) is part of a wider friendly rivalry between the geographical neighbours Australia and New Zealand, which applies not only to sport but to the culture of the two countries. The rivalry was intensified when Australia and New Zealand were both members of the OFC, regularly competing in OFC Nations Cup finals and in FIFA World Cup qualifications, where only one team from the OFC progressed to the World Cup. Since Australia left the OFC to join the AFC in 2006, competition between the two teams has been less frequent. However, the rivalry between the two teams is still strong, with the occasional match receiving much media and public attention. The rivalry extends to club football, with New Zealand's only fully professional team, the Wellington Phoenix, playing in the Australian A-League.

Supporters
The main supporters group of the New Zealand national team are known as the 'White Noise'. White Noise was formed in November 2007 with the supporters group of the Wellington Phoenix, 'Yellow Fever', rebranding themselves when the national sides play.

Home stadium
New Zealand does not have a dedicated national stadium, instead the team plays at different venues throughout the country for exhibition or tournament purposes. In recent years, major international matches have usually been rotated around various large grounds, including Sky Stadium in Wellington and North Harbour Stadium in Auckland. International matches have also been played at the Mount Smart Stadium and Eden Park in Auckland.

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.

Players
For all past and present players who have appeared for the national team, see New Zealand men's national team players.

Current squad
The following players have been selected in the squad for the 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup in June 2024.

Caps and goals updated as of 30 June 2024 after the match against the Vanuatu.

Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up within the last 12 months and remain eligible for selection.

INJ Withdrew due to injury

PRE Preliminary squad / standby

RET Retired from the national team

SUS Serving suspension

WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Individual records

 * Players in bold are still active with New Zealand.

Centuriate goals

All-time record
For the all-time record of the national team against opposing nations, see the team's all-time record page.

Honours
Major competitions

 * OFC Nations Cup
 * [[File:Med 1.png]] Champions (6): 1973, 1998, 2002, 2008, 2016, 2024
 * [[File:Med 2.png]] Runners-up (1): 2000
 * [[File:Med 3.png]] Third place (3): 1996, 2004, 2012
 * AFC–OFC Challenge Cup
 * [[File:Med 2.png]] Runners-up (1): 2003

Other competitions

 * Soccer Ashes
 * [[File:Med 1.png]] Champions (2): 1922, 1923
 * [[File:Med 2.png]] Runners-up (5): 1933, 1936, 1948, 1954, 2023
 * Trans-Tasman Cup
 * [[File:Med 1.png]] Champions (2): 1983, 1987
 * [[File:Med 2.png]] Runners-up (4): 1986, 1988, 1991, 1995
 * Merdeka Tournament
 * [[File:Med 1.png]] Champions (1): 2000


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Countryside Stewardship Scheme

The Countryside Stewardship Scheme was originally an agri-environment scheme run by the United Kingdom Government set up in 1991. In its original form it expired in 2014. It was relaunched for the Rural Development Programme England (RDPE) 2014-2020 with £3.1bn of government subsidy for agriculture and forestry, replacing the previous Environmental Stewardship scheme.

Countryside Stewardship:
 * will contribute around £900 million to help protect and improve our environment.
 * will be open to all eligible farmers, foresters and land managers
 * is a competitive targeted scheme, with grants awarded to those who will make the biggest improvements in their local area.
 * replaces Environmental Stewardship (ES), the English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) and capital grants from the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) programme.

Forestry Commission and Natural England will jointly delivery Countryside Stewardship. Natural England will broadly lead on the set up and delivery of transactional services for Countryside Stewardship for the first year of the new scheme.

Former CSS (1991-2014)
In its first guise introduced as a five-year pilot project by the Countryside Commission in 1991, the scheme aimed to improve the environmental value of farmland throughout England. The administration of the scheme was taken over by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) on 1 April 1996, and the scheme expanded to include new landscapes and features, including whole farm plans for restoring and recreating traditional walls and ditches, wildlife corridors in arable areas using uncropped margins in arable fields (with management to benefit associated wild flowers and birds), traditional buildings, and old meadows and pastures (important for maintaining and increasing biodiversity). In the meantime, the scheme was incorporated under the umbrella of the European Community's 'agri-environment’ programme which aims to protect the environment and the countryside through the promotion of green farming practices, which enabled grants to be part-funded through the Community. The scheme was incorporated into the England Rural Development Programme on 1 January 2000.

In 2005, there were 16,636 agreement holders with 531,280 hectares under agreement.

The Countryside Stewardship Scheme closed to new applications in 2004 with the introduction of the Environmental stewardship (England) Scheme. Existing agreements continue to be honoured; the last agreements will expire in 2014. The scheme is currently administered by staff at Natural England.

Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) 2014-2020
From 2014 to 2020 Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) was originally adopted by the European Commission on 13 February 2015. The document follows the format laid down in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EC) No 808/2014.

title: Countryside Stewardship Scheme


text:
Olive, the Other Reindeer

Olive, the Other Reindeer is a 1999 American animated Christmas comedy musical film written by Steve Young, based on the 1997 children's book by Vivian Walsh and J. Otto Seibold, and directed by Academy Award-nominated animator Steve Moore (credited as "Oscar Moore"). The feature was produced by Matt Groening's The Curiosity Company and animated by DNA Productions. Drew Barrymore voices the title character, and she is credited as an executive producer on the special.

The special first aired on December 17, 1999, alongside Futurama on Fox, ten years after the premiere date of Groening's television series The Simpsons. It was produced by Fox Television Studios and Flower Films. During its initial broadcast, the special brought in 6.06 million viewers, and an additional 5.22 million the following year. After airing again the following year, the special made its first cable television premiere on Nickelodeon on December 15, 2001; It would then premiere the following year on Cartoon Network on December 14, 2002, and aired during each holiday season until it was last seen on December 24, 2012. The special would also air on other local syndicated networks, such as The WB, MyNetworkTV, The CW and WGN-TV.

The story is based on the 1997 children's book by Vivian Walsh and J. Otto Seibold and illustrated by J. Otto Seibold. In the song, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the lyric "All of the other reindeer" can be misheard in dialects with the cot–caught merger as the mondegreen "Olive, the other reindeer". The special was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

Plot
The story follows an anthropomorphic Jack Russell Terrier named Olive. While in town, she meets Martini, a con artist penguin from whom she buys a counterfeit Rolex watch. When she returns home she finds her owner, Tim, sad that there "won't be any Christmas". Olive discovers that Blitzen, one of Santa's reindeer, is injured and unable to fly. Santa expresses in a radio interview that Christmas is not cancelled if his sleigh can be pulled by "all of the other reindeer". Olive's pet flea, Fido, mishears this as "Olive the other reindeer", and Olive becomes convinced that it is she Santa is referring to, prompting her to travel to the North Pole to help pull the sleigh.

On the way to the bus station, Olive runs into a disgruntled Postman who is frustrated by having to deliver mail during the Christmas period, and expresses that he is glad Christmas might be cancelled. He learns Olive is trying to save Santa's flight, and is determined to stop Olive from saving Christmas. Olive goes to the bus station to buy a ticket to Arctic Junction. Martini shows up and Olive buys him a bus ticket, but before they can leave the station, Olive is captured by the Postman, who abducts her, claiming she is wanted for mail fraud. After she pleads for Martini's help, Martini trips the Postman, allowing Martini and Olive to catch the bus.

On the bus, Olive and Martini talk to an Inuit couple and bus driver Richard Stands. They believe Olive misheard Santa, but wish her luck. The Postman pulls up next to the bus in his mail truck, but Martini makes a paper airplane, tells him, "Deliver this, punk!" and throws it at the Postman, knocking him off the road. When they arrive at Arctic Junction, they must wait for the next bus, so they go to a restaurant. The Postman, disguised as their waitress, lures Olive outside by stating that Santa is waiting for her. The Postman throws Olive into his truck, and while he is driving away, Olive finds a package addressed to her from "Deus Ex Machina" containing a metal file that Olive uses to escape.

Olive returns to the Junction, and Martini and Richard, having discovered the Postman's actions, ask her how she got away. Olive and Martini, having missed the bus, go inside a nearby bar and are initially harassed by the bar's patrons, including bar owner Round John Virgin. Olive stands up to them, giving a speech about the meaning of Christmas. The patrons apologize for their behavior and Round John Virgin offers Martini and Olive a ride to the North Pole. At the North Pole, Olive is denied entry, but Martini distracts the guard, allowing Olive to get inside and look for Santa. Aside from Blitzen's injury, Santa is unsure about going out for Christmas, due to having received mean-spirited letters addressed from children. Olive convinces Santa that the letters are from the Postman, and persuades Santa not to give up on Christmas; Santa thanks Olive, and she joins the other reindeer in order to fly the sleigh.

Before they leave, the Postman switches the bag of toys with a bag of junk mail and kidnaps Martini. Later, Santa discovers what happened, and Olive follows the Postman's scent to track him down. Olive struggles with the Postman, and Martini scares the Postman with a jack-in-the-box, and he hits his head and is knocked unconscious. They retrieve the presents, rescue Martini, and then deliver the presents to the world. Santa gets lost in fog, and Olive guides the sleigh back to the North Pole by following the scent of cookies baked by Mrs. Claus. Santa and all of the other reindeer thank Olive for her help before Comet gives her a ride home. Arriving home, Olive makes amends with Tim, who is happy to see her. The Postman is bound with packing tape and fitted with cardboard "wings" and put in the penguin exhibit in the zoo in Martini's place, while Martini is now in charge of the mail.

Music
Music by Christopher Tyng, lyrics by Steve Young

 * "The Days Still Remaining 'Til Christmas" performed by Drew Barrymore
 * "Christmas (Bah, Bug and Hum!)" performed by Dan Castellaneta
 * "We're Not So Bad" performed by Michael Stipe of R.E.M.
 * "Merry Christmas After All" performed by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy with Drew Barrymore
 * "The Days Still Remaining 'Til Christmas (reprise)" performed by Drew Barrymore

title: Olive, the Other Reindeer


text:
File:BattleGrid.jpg

Summary
Battle grid Image shows the use of the battle grid in Final Fantasy Tactics, and is copyright Square Enix. The Black Mage (marked by the "AT" symbol) prepares to move into a more viable attack position. Blue squares show range of movement. Light blue square shows current destination.

Licensing
Rationale for the fair use of this image in the article Final Fantasy Tactics
 * Square Enix has not released any screenshots to the public domain
 * The image is used to demonstrate the game's distinctive graphical style
 * The image is being used in an informative way and should not detract from the game
 * The image does not limit Square Enix's ability to sell the game

title: File:BattleGrid.jpg


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Handled the ball

Handled the ball was formerly one of the methods of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket, but was integrated into the Law on obstructing the field when the Laws of Cricket were rewritten in 2017. It dictated that either batsman can be given out if they intentionally touch the ball with a hand that is not holding their bat. An exception was given if the batsman handled the ball to avoid injury. It was governed by Law 33 of the 2000 Edition of the Laws, and was a rare way for a batsman to be dismissed: in the history of cricket, there have been 61 instances in first-class matches and 5 occasions in List A games. In most cases this occurred when a batsman thought that the ball was going to hit their wicket, and knocked it away from the stumps with their hand.

In international cricket, only ten dismissals have been in this fashion; on seven occasions in Test cricket and three times in One Day Internationals. The South African Russell Endean became the first victim of this method in international cricket when he was dismissed in a 1957 Test match against England. The final occurrence was in an ODI in 2015, when Chamu Chibhabha of Zimbabwe was given out against Afghanistan national cricket team. After the rebranding of the law, Mushfiqur Rahim handled the ball in a test match against New Zealand. On appeal, he was given out 'Obstructing the field'.

Definition
Handled the ball was Law 33 in the Laws of Cricket established by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). A batsman could be given out for handling the ball if, while playing a delivery, the batsman intentionally touched the ball with one or both of their hands not holding the bat. A decision of not out would be reached if the batsman handled the ball to avoid incurring an injury. A bowler did not receive credit for the wicket when a batsman was dismissed in this fashion.

History
As a method of dismissal, handling the ball was included in the Laws of Cricket from the original code, written in 1744. In that document, it stated that "If ye Striker touches or takes up ye Ball before she is lain quite still, unless asked by ye Bowler or Wicket-keeper, its out." Similar wording remained in the revision made to the laws thirty years later. The first batsman to be dismissed for handling the ball in first-class cricket was James Grundy, who suffered the fate while playing for the MCC against Kent in 1857. Prior to 1899, a batsman could be given out for handling the ball even if they were doing so to remove a ball which had got stuck in their equipment or clothing. At the time, if one of the fielders removed the ball from the batsman's clothing, they could claim a catch. It was in such a situation that George Bennett, the first player to be given out handled the ball in English county cricket, was dismissed in 1872. The wicket of William Scotton in early 1887 was described by Gerald Brodribb as "most unusual". In a match between the smokers and the non-smokers involved in the 1886–87 Ashes series, Scotton faced the final delivery of the contest. Eager to claim the ball as a souvenir of the high-scoring match, he defended the delivery and picked the ball up. The fielders—who also wanted the souvenir—appealed, and Scotton was ruled out.

An addition was made to the law in 1950 to allow umpires to give a batsman not out if the ball should strike the hand after "an involuntary action by the striker in the throwing up of a hand to protect his person". For a time, the act of handing the ball back to the fielding side was listed as not out under Law 33, and instead was considered to be part of a different method of dismissal: obstructing the field, covered in Law 37. The illegal nature of this offence was later returned to Law 33, but reverted to Law 37 in 2013. In 1948 the MCC issued a reminder to batsman, advising them not to handle the ball for any reason at any point during a cricket match, but it is relatively common for batsmen to pick the ball up and return it to the fielding side. Charles Wright was the first player to be dismissed for returning the ball to a fielder in first-class cricket; albeit wrongly. Brodribb relates that in an 1893 match, W. G. Grace influenced Wright to return the ball to him, and upon doing so, appealed. The umpire dismissed Wright, despite a clause added to the law nine years previous stating that a batsman would not be ruled out if they were returning the ball at the request of the fielding side.

In 2013, the law received a major change. Prior to this, there had been ambiguity in certain situations whether handling the ball or obstructing the field was applicable. This ambiguity was removed by setting a clear demarcation point between the two as the point when the striker has "finished playing the ball": before this point, handling the ball applies; thereafter, obstructing the field applies. The result was that only the striker could be dismissed handled ball, and only during the short period when the striker was playing (or attempting to play) the ball, either as a first or subsequent stroke. The act of handing the ball back to the fielding side, mentioned above, was therefore no longer regarded as the striker playing the ball, resulting in this event then being dealt with under obstructing the field.

In March 2017 it was announced by the MCC that the law on handled the ball would be completely removed and subsumed into the law on obstructing the field. This means that the act of handling the ball will still result in the batsman's dismissal, but will now always be recorded as obstructing the field. The new law came into effect on 1 October 2017.

In total, there were 63 occasions on which a batsman has been given out handled the ball in first-class cricket and 5 instances in List A cricket. Brodribb suggests that it is likely that there should have been a significant number more dismissals than there have been for handling the ball: in addition to the cases where batsman have returned the ball to the fielding side without permission, there are records of cases in which the umpires have been reticent to uphold an appeal. On one such instance, the umpire David Constant rejected an appeal against Younis Ahmed, saying that he thought the appeal was not serious.

Occasions in international cricket
The first occasion of a batsman being given out handled the ball in international cricket occurred during a Test match between South Africa and England in Cape Town in 1957. In the second innings of the match, the South African Russell Endean padded away a delivery from Jim Laker. The ball looped off his pads into the air, and was falling towards his stumps until Endean instinctively knocked it away with his free hand. He later suggested that he had "thought of heading it away, but that seemed too theatrical." The second instance came 22 years later during a bad-tempered series between Australia and Pakistan that also involved another rare dismissal method: Mankading. Andrew Hilditch was the victim in this match; he picked up the ball and returned it to the bowler after a wayward throw from a fielder. The bowler, Sarfraz Nawaz, appealed for the wicket and Hilditch was given out. Another Pakistan player, Asif Iqbal, distanced himself from the incident, commenting that he felt "there was no need for us to stoop so low as to appeal against Hilditch". Hilditch's dismissal marked the only time that a non-striking batsman has been given out for handling the ball. The next case also occurred in another match between Australia and Pakistan. Mohsin Khan defended a delivery from Geoff Lawson, which then landed behind him. Mohsin pushed the ball away from the stumps with his hand, resulting in the wicket.

Desmond Haynes was the fourth man to be dismissed for handling the ball in Test cricket, just over a year after Mohsin. Facing India in late 1983, Haynes had been struck on the bat and pad by the ball, which then headed towards the stumps. The West Indian batsman redirected the ball away from the stumps with his free hand. Upon being given out, Haynes—who was ignorant of the law regarding handling the ball—argued with the umpire about the dismissal. After asking the bowler, Kapil Dev, if he wanted to withdraw his appeal, the umpire sent Haynes back to the pavilion. The first instance in One Day Internationals was in 1986, when the Indian batsman Mohinder Amarnath knocked away a turning delivery from Australia's Greg Matthews that was heading for the stumps. In 1993, Graham Gooch became the only player to be dismissed for handling the ball after scoring a century. Playing defensively to try and draw the Test match against Australia, Gooch blocked a short ball from Merv Hughes. The ball flicked off his bat and fell towards his stumps, prompting Gooch to instinctively punch the ball away: Australia won the match by 179 runs.

The dismissal of Daryll Cullinan in 1999 was the second instance in ODIs: facing the West Indian spinner Keith Arthurton, Cullinan fended the ball off into the ground. It bounced high in the air, and Cullinan removed his right hand from his bat to catch it as it fell again. Despite the fact that it was unlikely that the ball would land near the stumps, the West Indies captain, Brian Lara, appealed, and Cullinan was dismissed. The next occurrence was two years later, in a Test match between Australia and India. In the first innings of the match, Steve Waugh was struck on the pads by a delivery from Harbhajan Singh. The umpire turned down the appeal, but as he did so, the ball bounced and spun towards the stumps. Waugh was alerted by a shout from the non-striking batsman, and instinctively swept the ball away with his free hand. The most recent instance came during the same year as Waugh's dismissal, in another Test match involving India. England's Michael Vaughan missed an attempted sweep against Sarandeep Singh, and the ball trickled along the ground after striking his pads. Vaughan brushed the ball away with his hand, despite the fact that it was not travelling towards the stumps. Initially, he claimed that he was attempting to give the ball back to the fielder at short leg, but he later admitted that he "should have just held up [his] hands and said 'I got it all wrong, I'm an idiot.'"

title: Handled the ball


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Category:Regions of Africa

Regions of Africa

title: Category:Regions of Africa


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Rite of Passage (novel)

Rite of Passage is a science fiction novel by American writer Alexei Panshin. Published in 1968 as an Ace Science Fiction Special, this novel about a shipboard teenager's coming of age won that year's Nebula Award, and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1969.

Plot summary
Rite of Passage is told as a flashback by Mia Havero, the daughter of the Chairman of the Ship's Council, after she has completed her own rite of passage, also known as Trial. She has survived for thirty days on a colony planet with minimal supplies as part of her initiation into adulthood on one of several giant Ships that survived Earth's destruction in AD 2041. To prevent overpopulation on the Ships, family units can only produce children with the approval of the Ship's Eugenics Council. The penalty for breaking this rule is exile to a colony world.

By the year 2198, Mia Havero is twelve years old and, like most of Ship-bound humanity, regards the colonists as "Mudeaters", a derogatory reference to frontier life on a planet. When she accompanies her father on a trading mission to the planet Grainau, Mia learns from the children of a Grainau official that the feeling is mutual; many on the colony worlds call Ship people "Grabbies" because they take whatever goods they cannot produce on the Ships in return for knowledge and technology (doled out sparingly), the heritage of Earth to which the ship residents have laid claim and which colonists are unable to maintain, being too busy staying alive.

When Mia returns to the Ship, in addition to her regular studies, she joins a survival class. Survival class is every thirteen-year-old's preparation for Trial, the Ships' rite of passage into adulthood required within three months of turning fourteen. By requiring adolescents to experience the rigors and dangers of life on a colony planet, the Ships hope to avoid stagnation and ensure that those who survive are skilled enough to contribute significantly to Ship life. However, the mortality rate of Trial participants is fairly high, so no expense is spared to train the adolescents about to go through Trial so that they will survive the month spent planetside.

Mia's companion in school and in survival class is Jimmy Dentremont, a highly gifted boy of her own age. Their initial rivalry turns to friendship and eventually blossoms into love. Both in and out of survival class, sometimes with Jimmy and sometimes with other children, Mia has a series of adventures that build her confidence, broaden her world, and prepare her for Trial. Her moral awareness also grows during this time, both through formal study of ethical theory and through reflection on the errors she inevitably makes as she risks new experiences.

Shortly after her fourteenth birthday, Mia and her class are dispatched to the planet Tintera to undergo their Trial. Having quarreled with Jimmy, Mia refuses to team with him, but still chooses the tiger strategy over the turtle strategy; that is, she chooses to act on this world rather than hide out for the month that she's on planet. Mia soon encounters a party of rough men on horseback, who are herding Losels, native humanoids the Tinterans treat as domestic animals and use for simple labor, although they may be intelligent enough to be considered slaves. Mia escapes the Losel herders' attempted kidnapping, and when she reaches the nearest town, she is repulsed by the fact that all Tinterans are "Free Birthers"—they have no population control. She is also disturbed by their apparent practice of enslaving Losels.

After a second run-in with the Losel herders leaves Mia badly beaten and robbed of the signalling device she will need to return to her Ship, she is rescued by Daniel Kutsov, an old man who has been reduced to a simple, manual job as a result of past political activity. Kutsov treats Mia like an adopted grandchild and explains to Mia that her speech gives her away as being from the Ships. Kutsov tells Mia that Ship people are at best regarded with resentment, and at worst killed. Mia has already learned that the Tinterans have captured a scoutship from another Ship and arrested one of her fellow Trial participants. While recovering from her injuries in Kutsov's house, she discovers that the prisoner is Jimmy Dentremont. Singlehanded, Mia stages a jailbreak and escapes to the wilderness with Jimmy, but not before the two witness the brutal killing of Kutsov in a roundup of political dissidents.

Riding through the night in the pouring rain, Mia and Jimmy set up a tent in the woods. While in the tent, they realize their feelings for each other and have sex. They arrive the following day at the military headquarters for the territory, where Jimmy retrieves his own signalling device. Before they leave the base, they also disable the captured scoutship.

Soon after Mia and Jimmy return from Trial, a Shipwide Assembly debates what to do about Tintera. The Tinterans are Free Birthers, possibly slavers, and a potential danger to the Ship itself. As Mia hears the Assembly's debate, however, she understands that her views have changed. Her moral world has broadened to include the Tinterans as people, rather than faceless spear carriers to be used and discarded. Thus she cannot bring herself to condemn the Tinterans en masse. However, under the leadership of Mia's father, who perceives the Tinterans as beyond re-education, the Assembly votes by an eight-to-five margin to destroy Tintera in the name of 'moral discipline'. Mia and Jimmy, as adults, prepare to settle into their own living quarters on board Ship. Jimmy offers the hope that they will someday be in a position to change their society.

Reception
Algis Budrys praised Rite of Passage as an "intensely believable, movingly personalized story," saying that "each of the little, perfectly realized steps" in the story "is so perfectly done that one feels a real shock as one realizes that Panshin after all has never been a girl growing up aboard a hollowed-out planetoid." James Blish also received the novel favorably, saying "[T]his is not just another starship book, but a fully realized, lived-in world. I found the novel a little long and slow-moving for my taste, but I was charmed by its heroine. . . . [E]ven the slow slow sections were a pleasure to read".

Aldiss and Wingrove, however, declared that the novel "lacks the spark of life which might have fired its interesting subject matter . . . For all its craft and its attempt to create an intelligent updating of a Heinlein juvenile, it proves tiresome rather than inspired."

Themes
The theme of generational conflict was timely in the novel's year of publication, 1968. Long-lived adults form the overwhelming majority of the population aboard Mia's ship. Although they are generally benevolent and trustworthy, the society they have created appears complacent and aimless. Just as Mia must escape from the self-imposed limits of her shipboard “quad” if she is to survive Trial and achieve adulthood, it seems that the society of the Ship will have to escape its comfortable routine of drifting from planet to planet if it is ever to make use of the heritage it preserves.

The coming of age theme is dramatized through the events of Mia's Trial, a rite of passage that ensures her adulthood will be earned and meaningful. The theme is artfully elaborated in three folktales that appear in the narrative: “Bright Sam and Charming Ned,” told by a young scoutship pilot; “The Lady of Carlisle,” told by Mia herself; and a third tale (reduced at the editor's behest to a brief summary) told by Daniel Kutsov. All three feature young people who face tests of courage or resourcefulness.

The ethical discussions in the novel are at an elementary level, as is appropriate for a teenage narrator. Mia's final moral stance is broadly Kantian (Kant is the only philosopher she mentions by name) in that it demands respect for the personhood of others and forbids treating others as mere means. Mia's moral maturity comes with her recognition that “the universe is filled with people, and there is not a single solitary spear carrier among them.”

Many classic science fiction novels end with the destruction of an entire planet and its inhabitants. Typically, as in the Skylark and Lensman novels of E. E. “Doc” Smith, such destruction is presented as a starkly necessary defense against alien beings who are incorrigibly dangerous or evil. Rite of Passage departs from this tradition by condemning the destruction of Tintera as an act that no one, in principle, could ever have the right to commit.

In the Ship's Assembly, the proposal to destroy Tintera is debated in the context of an ongoing political controversy over what, if anything, the Ships owe to the planetary colonists. Mia's father takes the position that the colonists will do best if they learn to fend for themselves and not expect aid from the Ships. Mia and Jimmy's mentor, Joseph Mbele, believes that the Ships have an obligation to assist the colonists by sharing their knowledge, which Daniel Kutsov says is the heritage of all who survived the destruction of Earth. Both sides of the debate receive a respectful hearing at various places in the novel, and neither is presented as indisputably correct, but by the end of her story Mia has clearly come around to the view that the Ships have an obligation to the colonies.

Many of these themes appear in three other Panshin stories set in the same fictional future: “The Sons of Prometheus” (Analog, 1966), “A Sense of Direction” (Amazing, 1969), and “Arpad” (Quark 2, 1971). In “Arpad” there is a brief cameo appearance by Mia and Jimmy. All three stories are collected in Panshin's Farewell to Yesterday’s Tomorrow (Berkley, 1975).

title: Rite of Passage (novel)


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Category:Regions of Europe

These regions often overlap so a single country may be part of several different regions.

title: Category:Regions of Europe


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Sean Eamonn Eagan Mack

Sean Eamonn Eagan Mack
Vanity page. jengod 20:57, Sep 27, 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Vanity (IP resolves to Albany, NY) page about a non-notable actor. --Goobergunch 00:19, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Young person vanity. --Ianb 06:15, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. vanity --R. S. Shaw 06:36, 2004 Sep 28 (UTC)


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Beurre noisette

Beurre noisette (, literally: hazelnut butter, loosely: brown butter) is a type of warm sauce used in French cuisine. It can accompany savoury foods, such as winter vegetables, pasta, fish, omelettes, and chicken. It has become a popular ingredient in other cultures as well, such as in contemporary American cuisine or the traditional American chocolate chip cookie. It is widely used in making French pastry. It has a deep yellow, almost brown, colour and a nutty scent and flavour from the heating process.

Preparation
When unsalted butter is melted over low heat and allowed to separate into butterfat and milk solids, the latter naturally sink to the bottom of the pan and, if left warming over gentle heat, will begin to cook slightly and turn a deep brown color. As they reach a toasty hazelnut colour, the pan is removed from the heat. The result is called beurre noisette, or brown butter.

Beurre noisette may be used in its liquid state as a flavorful addition to many foods or cooled into a solid form. It has a nutty flavour and is particularly included in the batters for madeleines and financiers.

If beurre noisette is not mixed after preparation, but separated to the firm (protein) and liquid (fat) components, the latter is the type of clarified butter known as ghee in South Asia and samna in the Middle East countries.

title: Beurre noisette


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Royal Life Guards (Denmark)

The Royal Life Guards (Den Kongelige Livgarde) is a mechanized infantry regiment of the Danish Army, founded in 1658 by King Frederik III. The primary task is to provide a number of soldiers from the Guard Company to serve as a guard/ceremonial unit to the Danish monarchy, while training the Royal Guards for various functions in the mobilisation force. Until its disbandment, the Royal Horse Guards (Livgarden til Hest), served the role as the mounted guard/ceremonial unit, afterwards the role was taken over by Guard Hussar Regiment Mounted Squadron. During the time period 1684–1867, the Royal Life Guards were called The Royal Foot Guard (Den Kongelige Livgarde til Fods), in order to distinguish between the regiment and the Royal Horse Guards.

History
The Royal Life Guards were established by Frederik III of Denmark on June 30, 1658, the guards were both to protect Frederik and to be a combat troop regiment.

The life guards still carry out these 2 tasks to this day

Role
The Royal Life Guards serve as a front-line unit and as a guard/ceremonial unit as well to the Danish monarchy.

They are an elite unit of the regular armed forces, so they maintain special privileges.

Organisation
The regiment consists of two infantry battalions, the Guard Company and the Musical Corps:
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards I Battalion.svg 1st Battalion – Founded 1658. Mechanized Infantry Battalion, part of 1st Brigade. Plus Ultra (Even further)
 * Emblem for the LG 1Staff.svg Staff Company (STKMP/I/LG)
 * Emblem for the 1-I-LG.svg 1st Armored Infantry Company (Army's Flank company ) (1/I/LG)
 * Emblem for the 2-I-LG.svg 2nd Mechanized Infantry Company (2/I/LG)
 * Insigne incognitum.svg 4th Mechanized Infantry Company (4/I/LG)(inactive)
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards II Battalion.svg 2nd Battalion – Founded 1867. Mechanized Infantry Battalion, Vincere Volumus (We'll be victorious)
 * Insigne incognitum.svg Staff Company (STKMP/II/LG)(inactive)
 * Emblem for the 1-II-LG.svg 1st Mechanized Infantry Company (1/II/LG)
 * Emblem for the 2-II-LG.svg 2nd Basic Training Company (2/II/LG)
 * Emblem for the 3-II-LG.svg 3rd Basic Training Company (3/II/LG)
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards Guard Company.svg Royal Guard Company (Vagtkompagniet) - Founded 1659. Ceremonial/guard unit.
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards Musical Corps.svg Royal Life Guard Music Band (Den Kongelige Livgardes Musikkkorps) - Founded 1658. Musical unit.

 * Disbanded units
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards III Battalion.svg 3rd Battalion – Founded 1923, Disbanded 2018. Infantry (basic training) Battalion. (Mechanized Infantry Battalion 2000-2004)
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards IV Battalion.svg 4th Battalion – Founded 1961, Disbanded 2005. Infantry Battalion.
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards V Battalion.svg 5th Battalion – Founded 2001, Disbanded 2005. Infantry Battalion. (Merged in from 3rd Btn/Danish Life Regiment, only as reserve)
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards VI Battalion.svg 6th Battalion – Founded 2001, Disbanded 2005. Infantry Battalion. (Merged in from 4th Btn/Danish Life Regiment, only as reserve)
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards VII Battalion.svg 7th Battalion – Founded 2001, Disbanded 2005. Infantry Battalion. (Merged in from 4th Btn/Zealand Life Regiment, only as reserve)

Alliances

 * 🇬🇧 – The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) – Bond of Friendship
 * 🇩🇪 – Bundeswehr

title: Royal Life Guards (Denmark)


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User:Eb ii

Hi!

title: User:Eb ii


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Category:Regions

A region is a named area of the planet Earth.

title: Category:Regions


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PrivatAir

Privatair SA was a Swiss airline headquartered in Meyrin, which operated business jets as well as scheduled services on behalf of major airlines. In addition the company operated crew and pilot training facilities. PrivatAir SA was a registered air carrier with two air operator's certificates, in Switzerland and through its subsidiary PrivatAir GmbH in Germany. On 5 December 2018, PrivatAir filed for insolvency and ceased operations.

History
PrivatAir was founded in 1977 as a corporate flying division of the Latsis family under the name Petrolair. In 1979, air traffic began on a Boeing 737-200 and offered business travel flights. In 1989, a Boeing 757 and a Gulfstream IV were added, and the name was changed to PrivatAir. On June 1, 1995, the company was then licensed by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation as a commercial airline.

In March 2001 the PrivatAir Group was formed. Also in March 2001, the PrivatAir Group gained ETOPS 180 minutes and FAA 129 Foreign Carrier approval as a designated carrier under the US-Switzerland bilateral "open skies" agreement. These approvals allow the company to offer the most direct routes across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and unlimited operations to the US. At the time, PrivatAir was the only ad hoc commercial charter operator in the world with these approvals.

In February 2002, PrivatAir completed the construction of its private terminal in Geneva, where its headquarters were then based. The new "C3" terminal was a joint venture between PrivatAir and Geneva International Airport and offered VIP passenger services to PrivatAir's customers. The corporate jet alliance AirClub was founded in Geneva in October 2012. In 2018 AirClub had eight members aside PrivatAir: ACM Air Charter, Air Alsie, AIR HAMBURG, Corporatejets, FLYINGGROUP, GlobeAir, London Executive Aviation and Masterjet.

In May 2003, PrivatAir and Swissport created the joint company PrivatPort, which is an executive-jet handling business. In October 2003, German subsidiary PrivatAir Germany GmbH, Düsseldorf, gained JAR – 145 approval from the German civil aviation authority, giving the company more autonomy and flexibility within the framework of its operations on behalf of Lufthansa and Airbus.

In November 2016, the majority of the company (51%) was taken over by the British investment company SilverArrow Capital.

In October 2018, the German aviation authorities suspended the licence of PrivatAir's German subsidiary. On 5 December 2018, PrivatAir announced the end of operations and filed for insolvency for both its Swiss and German business units, citing negative commercial developments.

Company overview
PrivatAir was made up of three divisions: Scheduled Services, Business Aviation which included aircraft management, charter, sales and PrivatTraining:

 * PrivatAir specialised in scheduled and charter flights using mid-sized, long-range jets. Its main base is Geneva Airport and its contracted operational bases depend of the current scheduled operations contracts, e. g. Frankfurt Airport operating for Lufthansa.
 * PrivatAir's Business Aviation department provided service covering Aircraft Management, Aircraft Sales & Acquisitions, Aircraft Charter, AirClub (corporate jet alliance), PrivatJetFuel (Fuel Management) and Ground Services (PrivatPort).
 * PrivatTraining was an in-house training department focusing on safety, security and service in the industry. They also provide training programmes for private-jet operators, to help them fulfil regulatory obligations.

Operations
Aside from private and corporate charter services, PrivatAir also operated its aircraft on behalf of different international airlines on a long-term basis for scheduled flights.

From June 2002 to June 2008, Privatair operated on behalf of Lufthansa a non-stop transatlantic service from Düsseldorf to Newark near New York City. To record, this was the first transatlantic flight which took off exclusively with Business Class. For this purpose the German subsidiary PrivatAir GmbH with legal seat in Duesseldorf, Germany was created, which operated not only the four Airbus in own responsibility, but was responsible for all maintenance of the group airplanes. In addition the company added three Boeing business jets.

From 2003 to 2008, PrivatAir carried out charter traffic for Airbus between the plants in Hamburg-Finkenwerder and Toulouse. This was subsequently taken over by OLT Express Germany. PrivatAir also operated a variety of other regular scheduled flights on behalf major airlines such as Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Pune and Nairobi and for Saudia on domestic services.

In April 2015, Lufthansa announced it would reduce their involvement with PrivatAir with the route from Frankfurt to Dammam to be shut down by the end of October 2015. PrivatAir also operated flights to Libreville, Pointe-Noire, Accra, Bahrain and Tel Aviv on behalf of Lufthansa; these routes were all terminated a few years earlier. A route operated for Lufthansa to Nairobi ended on 31 August 2016. PrivatAir also operated aircraft on behalf of ECAir based at Maya-Maya Airport until 10 October 2016, when ECAir suspended its operations.

Between March 2016 and October 2017, PrivatAir operated a Boeing 737 on behalf of Scandinavian Airlines between Copenhagen and Boston.

As of 2017, PrivatAir also operated on selected routes for companies such as TUI fly Deutschland and Eurowings on leisure routes from Germany after the collapse of Air Berlin. In July 2018, Lufthansa suspended its route between Frankfurt and Pune, India which had been served by PrivatAir for several years. The route resumed in autumn 2018, however operated by Lufthansa's own aircraft.

Fleet
As of December 2018, the joint PrivatAir fleet registered in Switzerland and Germany consisted of the following aircraft. Additionally, PrivatAir operated several business jets from Dassault, Bombardier and Gulfstream.

PrivatAir previously also operated more and a wider range of aircraft including Boeing 757 and 767s.

title: PrivatAir


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Verkeerder Kill Falls

Verkeerder Kill Falls is the highest waterfall in Sam's Point Preserve in the Shawangunk Mountains in the town of Shawangunk, Ulster County, New York. It is 187 ft tall and is accessible via a 3 mi trail, part of the Long Path, which branches off from the main trail in Sam's Point Preserve. The waterfall is named after the stream. The waterfall may only be viewed from the top near an edge of a rocky outcrop.

title: Verkeerder Kill Falls